Defending Army chief General Bipin Rawat's comments on the rise of an Assam-based political party, sources in the Army headquarters claim that there is "nothing political or religious" in what he said.
Speaking at a seminar on ‘Northeast Region of India—Bridging Gaps and Securing Borders’ in national capital on Wednesday, Rawat referred to the the All India United Democratic Front's (AIUDF) growth in Assam as faster than that of the BJP, which stirred controversy.
Rawat also warned against influx of migrants from Bangladesh, calling it a proxy war by Pakistan, with help from China. "I do not think you can now change the population dynamics of the area. If it was five, eight or nine districts, inversion has taken place whichever be the government," he said, referring to districts in Assam that have a Muslim majority.
Reacting sharply to the Army chief's comments, AIUDF chief Maulana Badruddin Ajmal, a Member of Parliament from Assam, urged President Ram Nath Kovind to take note of the “political statement”. AIUDF has three members in the Lok Sabha and 13 MLAs in the 126-member Assam Assembly.
“The General has made a shocking political statement. Why is it the Army Chief’s concern that a political party, based on democratic and secular values, is rising faster than the BJP? Alternative parties like AIUDF and AAP have grown because of misgovernance of big parties,” he reportedly told media.
But Army sources came out in support of Gen Rawat by saying that "there was nothing political or religious. He just mentioned 'amalgamation & development'.
"When illegal immigration from Bangladesh is talked about, it happens due to two reasons. Bangladeshis are running short of space—large part of their areas gets flooded, so people migrate. The other issue is a planned immigration, which is the proxy dimension of the issue. It is played by our western neighbour supported by our northern neighbour,” Rawat said, adding that "development of northeast was the key. The government is looking at northeast in the right perspective. The solution to the problems of northeast is to amalgamate the people, along with ushering in development."
Army sources further stated that even Bangladesh prime minister has spoken about it.