BJP hits back with 'Law on Asylum'
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, April 13 2019:
With rival Congress party trying to corner BJP at every available opportunity for its election promise to bring back CAB 2016, BJP Manipur Pradesh has hit back with a new weapon 'Law on Asylum' .
Speaking to media persons today, BJP Manipur Pradesh spokesman Ch Bijoy said that the Congress party's promise to pass the Law on Asylum as listed under the foreign policy section of their election manifesto, in case they are elected to power is like a terrible time bomb for India including Manipur.
Since 1951, India has not been signing the UN Convention on Refugees and India is one of the 40 countries which are yet to ratify the convention.
India has not yet signed the UN Protocol on Refugees 1967 too, Bijoy said.
Once India signs the UN Convention on Refugees, India would be obliged to give shelter to refugees who flock to India in the event of any crisis that may break out in any part of the world.
And if India signs the UN Protocol on Refugees 1967, the country would be further obliged to provide all basic requirements including food and shelter to all refugees until they have their own sources of livelihood, Bijoy said.
But Congress party, through its election manifesto, promised that it would pass the Law on Asylum and ratify the UN Convention on Refugees as well as the UN Protocol on Refugees.
Once India ratifies the Convention and the Protocol, India would have no authority to prevent refugees from taking shelter in the country and India should bear the responsibility of providing them basic requirements as well as sources of livelihood.
All these refugees would be given an identity card each issued by the UN High Commissioner on Refugees and all such card holders are given the right to move freely in all countries which have ratified the UN Convention on Refugees and the UN Protocol on Refugees.
However, India has not yet signed the particular Convention and the Protocol, India is free to disregard the refugee cards issued by the UN High Commissioner on Refugees and refugees found inside the country may be imprisoned or deported, said the BJP spokesman.
During the Vietnam War, there was a serious crisis of refugees.
As the number of refugees was so huge, they were divided among the countries which had signed the particular Convention and the Protocol, he said.
It is a matter of grave concern that the Congress party has promised though their election manifesto to pass the Law on Asylum, in case they are elected to power.
If the law is passed and India signs the UN Convention on Refugees, India would have no authority to prevent refugees coming from Bangladesh, Pakistan and other countries from taking shelter within the country, he said.
Noting that Congress party has been campaigning for the Lok Sabha election by highlighting CAB 2016 as a major issue, the BJP spokesman asserted that the Law on Asylum which the Congress party has promised to enact is far more dangerous.
It would bring drastic demographic imbalance apart from creating serious social conflicts, he added.
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