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Bangladeshis deportation issue rocks assembly even as Advani defends state govt

The Maharashtra legislative assembly today plunged into turmoil over the issue of deportation of alleged Bangladeshis from Bombay with the Opposition staging a walkout and Speaker Datta Nalawade winding up the day's agenda hurriedly within five minutes after a series of adjournments amidst pandemonium.

The trouble was sparked off when, raising the issue through a point of propriety, the Communist Party of India-Marxist's Narsayya Adam alleged that Muslims from West Bengal, who had come to Bombay in the search of livelihood, were being deported forcibly.

This provoked non-Congress Opposition members who stood on their feet and defended Adam, shouting slogans "shame shame".

Shabbir Patel, Sohel Lokhandwala, Nawab Malik (all Samajwadi Party), Fayyaz Ahmed (Janata Dal), Vithal Naik (CPI-M) and others rushed to the well and later climbed on to the speaker's podium. Lokhandwala was seen banging the mace on the speaker's table while arguing with him.

Ruling party members including Gurunath Desai (Shiv Sena), Kirit Somayya (BJP) and others trooped to the well and took strong objection to Adam's statement shouting slogans which created unruly scenes in the House.

Meanwhile, all the Opposition parties have decided to move a no-confidence motion against the speaker tomorrow for his ''biased'', ''prejudicial'' and ''dictatorial'' attitude towards the Opposition.

This was disclosed by Leader of the Opposition in the assembly Madhukar Pichad and his counterpart in the legislative council Chhagan Bhujbal, chief whip of the Congress in the House Rohidas Patil, Adam, Lokhandwala and others.

Pichad said the Congress, the Samajwadi Party and the Janata Dal have signed the motion of no-confidence against Nalawade and have submitted it to the legislative secretary.

In another development, Union Home Minister L K Advani said today that the Maharashtra government has informed the Centre that the due process of law was followed while identifying and deporting Bangladeshi nationals from Bombay recently.

Making a statement in Parliament where the issue was raised by the Opposition yesterday, Advani said an elaborate procedure was followed by the state government for detecting, identifying and deporting 96 illegal Bangladeshi migrants.

The suspected foreigners were given adequate opportunity to produce proof of their national status by way of birth certificates, school leaving certificates, ration cards, electoral identity cards, domicile and other documents.

Quoting the relevant law, he said the suspect is produced before a metropolitan magistrate, who gives him sufficient opportunity to produce the proof of nationality.

It was only in cases where no such evidence was presented to the satisfaction of the court that the latter granted permission to the competent authority for deporting such persons.

The competent authority then allowed deportation order under Section 3(2)(c) of the Foreigners Act, he said.

UNI

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