Kolkata, May 26 (IANS) West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said on Tuesday that the decision of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led state government to establish “holding centres’ for the illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators arrested in the state before being sent to the nearby border outposts of the Border Security Force (BSF) for deportation to their native country, had created panic among such illegal infiltrators, who had been staying in the state so far without any fear.

He chaired an administrative review meeting at Kalyani in Nadia district involving the administrative machineries of the three districts of Nadia, Hooghly and North 24 Parganas earlier in the afternoon.

Speaking to the media persons at the sidelines of the administrative review meeting, the Chief Minister made this comment and also gave a caution to the illegal infiltrators to either voluntarily escape or face the push-back.

Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Adhikari also explained why the current state government’s “detect-delete-deport” policy in case of the illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators was legally valid.

“They are Bangladeshis. They are illegal infiltrators. Hence, they will have to leave. It is the duty of the Bangladesh government to accept their own citizens. We have instructed the police that such illegal infiltrators should be produced at the courts or sent to correctional homes. They are not our in-laws. Then why shall we provide them with shelters, food, medicines and even employment,” the Chief Minister said.

Later, Chief Minister Adhikari advised the illegal infiltrators either to leave voluntarily or the state government would do what is necessary.

Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister also explained the logic of not sending the illegal infiltrators to the correctional homes.

“Why will we spend the hard-earned taxpayers’ money in maintaining them (illegal inflitrators) and feeding them at the correctional homes? We are not introducing any new law. What we are doing is as per the legal provisions which were there for a long time. The only difference was that the existing law was not enforced by the previous regimes. We are now just enforcing those legal provisions in the interest of the country and in the interest of the state,” Chief Minister Adhikari said.

Since Monday, several infiltrators were seen at the Hakimpur border in North 24 Parganas district to be deported to Bangladesh.

When media persons questioned the Chief Minister on the matter on Tuesday afternoon, Suvendu Adhikari said that he is aware of the developments at the Hakimpur border.

“My only advice to them now is to escape as fast as possible,” he added.

–IANS

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