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Who are the actual illegal
migrants in Mumbai? Are only 'Bangladeshis' troubling people in the state or
ther are other many illegal
immigrants too who are disturbing our day to day life in the city.
Recently at Maharashtra Navnirman Sena rally at Azad Maidan, Party
President Raj Thackeray's allegations on Bangladeshi immigrants have
thrown a new salvo in political war of words between local
political parties.
The issue can be discussed into
proper perspective, if one visits Khar-Danda in Bandra fishermen
locality or one walks on Carter Road. It would not be difficult to
trace crowds of
Nepalese and Tibetans thronging outside the park areas. If you will try to
enter any Bar or Spa, you will be welcomed by Nepalese and Tibetan
girls.
Syed Amber Fazal, resident of Khar-Danda locality says, “In
these areas, a lot of illegal immigrants are from Nepal and Tibet. We
call them “Gijjua”, most of them are working in Bars and Spas, and
double as sex workers.”
Amber narrates an interesting story:
"My neighbors are “Gujju” - two boys and two girls, and they are living in a
single room. One day when I asked about their room partners, one of
them told me that they have not too much idea what their room
partners are doing in Mumbai and what kind of job they have. We
are living together but no one knows about others", he added
Munaf Hakeem General Secretary Nationalist Congress Party and
newly elected Chairman of Maharashtra Minority Commission says,
“The issue of illegal immigrants in India is used only as a vote
bank politics by
communal parties and communal forces. Peoples from Bhutan, Myanmar
and Nepal are living in Mumbai and Maharashtra without any
permission. Might be most of them had serious crime in Nepal,
Bhutan & Myanmar and came to Mumbai, but the communal politicians
never target these people because their majority vote banks
will be affected.”
“In Maharashtra no one knows how many Bangladeshis are living? We have not enough records of Bangladeshi illegal immigrants.
But every communal party is raising the issue over a long period
of time?
"Why after a long time experience
dealing with Bangladeshis, we cannot stop illegal migration from
Bangladesh? In fact, the entire building boom will collapse, if
these illegal immigrants are rounded off. The builder lobby in the
city is too powerful for the state to touch their cheap labour
force", Hakeem said.
Besides,
the Maratha Manoos is too lazy to go any backbreaking job in
construction industry, on which the current real estate boom is
dependent. The state is making colossal revenue by greedily coming
out with ingenious property taxes burdening the common people who
can hardly afford housing in the city. This real estate boom and
the tremendous increase in state and municipal revenue is partly
due to continued availability of cheap illegal immigrant labour.
"And What about Bhutanese & Tibetans people. Are not those
supposed to be disturbing our life in Mumbai? Why communal
politicians have soft corner for these illegal immigrants", Hakeem
asked.
The recent development when Baba Ramdev's trusted assistant,
Acharya Balkrishna was hauled by by Congress government opposing
Ramdev's anti-Congress movement, under the charge that he is an
illegal immigrant and he is now incarcerated facing criminal
charges.
The illegal immigrants are tolerated by the authorities as
well as by the opposition parties, as long as they suit their
political agenda. The moment these immigrants are required to be
rounded up in a fake show of force by the police, combing
operations and night raids are conducted that too for a limited period,
till the hue and cry subsides.
"Many more like Acharya Balkirashna might be accommodated by
political parties in India and when it suits their sloganeering,
they start shouting against Bangladeshi", said Hakim.
Meanwhile, Mumbai and Maharashtra Samajwadi Party President Abu
Asim Azmi gave the issue a totally new twist by challenging Raj Thackeray's
claim that his election victories were due to bogus Bangladeshi
voting. Azmi even write out a cheque for 2 Crores as a gift to Raj,
if he can prove his within 2 months. Azmi also questioned Raj
Thackeray's double standard over the issue. "If the Bangladeshis
are staying in illegal capacity, why Raj Thackeray is not after
Nepalese and Tibetans, who are staying in India", he asked.
The writer is a Mumbai based
journalist. He can be reached at danishreyaz@gmail.com
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