Gogoi clarifies comment on migrants

Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, facing flak for his remark that there are no illegal migrants in the state, on Wednesday claimed that he was misquoted as he had only mentioned that as per voters list, there are no illegal migrants post 1971.

"I have been misquoted and I have never stated that there are no illegal migrants. What I have stated is that according to the voters list, there are no illegal migrants post 1971, and if they are detected, they will be deported," Gogoi told PTI in Guwahati.

"What I had stated in the meeting recently in Nagaon district was that, officially, there are no illegal migrants prior to 1971, but that does not mean that the state is bereft of migrants," Gogoi said.

"The government is sincere to detect and deport illegal migrants who came to the state after 1971 and we will not compromise on our stand," he said.

The government was serious about updating the National Registrar of Citizen on the basis of the cutoff year of 1971 and there was no chance of any migrant settling in the state, he said.

Dr Samujjal Bhattacharya, advisor, All Assam Students Union, had criticised the chief minister for his statement and threatened an agitation.

"We will declare a state-wide agitation if the chief minister does not take back his statement," he told PTI.