By Sanjay Kumar Jena
The Orissa government is ready to review the deportation notices sent to over 1,551 people it has listed as Bangladeshis. Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has categorically stated that a review can be done if errors are found in the identification of the illegal settlers.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state president Shri Jual Oram, who had recently visited the Mahakal-para Block in Kendrapara district, dashed a detailed letter to Chief Minister stating that the names of persons were wrongly categorized as illegal Bangladeshi immigrants.
?I found large irregularities,? said state BJP chief Jual Oram in his letter to Chief Minister.
?They have not only served notices to genuine Indians but also to dead people. We are not against the deportation of Bangladeshis but we will not allow deportation of bona fide people,? said Shri Oram.
The Union Home Ministry in the meantime has sought a clarification from the state government to ascertain whether central guidelines were followed in preparing the deportation list.
With an aggressive Sangh Parivar in mass mobilisation mood and the Centre seeking a clarification, State Home Secretary Shri Santosh Kumar had to contradict his own version by saying that the ?list in question is open for review?. It may be noted that the senior official earlier had said that there was no chance of review. ?The list has been certified by the district collector and we have no doubt over it,? the official had
categorically said before the Chief Minister intervened to take a soft stand on the deportation of identified people.
The Home Secretary has clarified that the 30-day notice served on the people will not be implemented now as the central query has to be answered with. Only after Centre'snod that the people would be deported, he added.
It may be noted that all 1,551 people issued the quit India notices were Hindus. The list was prepared with mala fide intention as thousands of Muslim infiltrators are moving scoot free, said the State Hindu Jagaran Samukhya chief and former Indian Police Service official Shri Ashok Sahu. The Samukhya has even filed a writ petition in Orissa High Court challenging the deportation move.
