Feriwala (hawker) and Kabadia (junk man) are two well-known terms in Odisha. Two decades ago, Feriwalas primarily sold its products in rural areas, but now, it is increasingly focusing on urban areas. Kabadias operate in both rural and urban areas. Most of these individuals are Bengali-speaking people from Murshidabad and Malda in West Bengal, though their addresses in Odisha are often inaccurate. According to their statements, selling products in Odisha is relatively easy because Odia people are peaceful and cooperative. This might be one reason, but it is not the only reason. There are other factors contributing to why Bangladeshi infiltrators view Odisha as a favourable destination.
Language Benefit- Odia People easily understand the Bengali language, and Bengali people also easily understand the Odia Language. As most of the words of the two languages are the same. But the speaking style is different. So Bangladeshi never face language problems. In addition to this, Odisa people think that every Bengali-speaking person is Bharatiya Bengali. Furthermore, during the 1971 war, so many refugees came from Bangladesh. They are staying in different places in Odisha. But they are Hindus. So, Odia people cannot identify who are Hindu refugees and who are non-Hindu Bangladeshi. Taking advantage of the Bengali language, they feel safe in Odisha and can easily hide their identity as Bangladeshi.
Vote Bank Politics- In Odisha, some political leaders help them to make Aadhar Card and Voter IDs. After having an Aadhar Card and Voter ID, they support that leader and his party. They speak in their statement that in comparison to other states, Odisha is very easy to make an Aadhar Card and Voter ID. They are taking advantage of various facilities provided by the Government of Odisha. Like the Ration Card, PM Awas Yojana, and the old-age pension.
Cause of Unemployment- Bangladeshi Feriwalas sell daily used items like sarees, plastic furniture, steel utensils, bed sheets, mattresses, and other household items. They sell these goods at lower prices than local businessmen. They can easily sell their products at lower prices because they are not paying GST. So local businesses face difficulties in running their business. So many Bangladeshis are engaged in sectors like Agricultural Labour, Construction Worker, Lemon tea sellers, etc. They are working at lower wages than local labourers. So, the Odisha people prefer Bangladeshi labourers to Odia labourers. For this reason, Odia labourers are forced to go outside of Odisha. Lemon tea sellers sell their tea by bicycle. They are using hazardous chemicals to make their tea tasty. No food inspector is there to check their tea. Local tea stall Owner is facing loss. Following this reason and under the force of circumstance, local tea sellers are closing their stalls.
Involvement with Anti-Social Activities- In the day, they work as Labour, Fariwala and Kabadia. But at night, they are involved with robbery, highway looting and killing like heinous crimes. They are using bikes with broken number plates or without number plates. So the police are facing difficulties in nabbing them. Some of them are involved with love jihad. They are changing their name to hide their Muslim identity and getting married to poor Hindu girls and helpless women. Furthermore, they are operating other anti-social activities, like cattle smuggling, fake currency rackets, drug trafficking, stealing idols from temples and encroachment of Public land.
Threat to National Security- The Missile Launching Centre operated by DRDO is located at Chandipur in the Balasore district. From where Akash, Agni, Shaurya and Prithi ballistic missiles are tested successfully. Bangladeshi are also active in this area. They may provide security-related secret information to our rival country.
Following political turmoil in Bangladesh, the Odisha Police are on high alert. However, they have no real data about illegal Bangladeshis in Odisha. As per Odisha Government data given on March 12, 2023, in assembly, there are 1,57,432 Bangladeshi refugees living in Odisha, and of them, 3740 people are living illegally. But the real number is much more than that. If a real survey is conducted, then the number will be around 10 lakhs.
What they can do, they have proved it in Bangladesh recently. Before they repeat it in Odisha, precautionary measures should be taken by Odisha Government.
