If deport 'illegal Bangladeshis', begin by Sheikh Hasina: Indian politician

Indian politician Asaduddin Owaisi on Thursday said if the Indian government wants to deport “illegal Bangladeshis” from India, it should begin by sending back former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Asaduddin Owaisi is the chief of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) and a lawmaker from Hyderabad.

“Why are we keeping that deposed leader (Sheikh Hasina) in the country? Send her back. She is also a Bangladeshi, isn’t it?,” Owaisi said at an Idea Exchange event of The Indian Express. The report of Indian Express also mentioned that India should “accept the popular revolution” that took place in Bangladesh on 5 August, 2024, and work towards good relations with Bangladesh’s current regime.

“We have one Bangladeshi living in our country and creating problems by giving statements and speeches, and then we have these poor Bengali-speaking Indians from Malda and Murshidabad who were sent from Pune to Kolkata in an aircraft and then dumped in no man’s land,” Owaisi said, referring to recent incidents where Bengali-speaking residents were deported without verification.

“Anyone who speaks Bengali becomes Bangladeshi, is it? It shows the xenophobia that is operating here,” he said in response to a question on the Opposition’s take on the alleged targeting of Bengali migrants across thecountry.

Owaisi’s comment came at a time when Indian border security force’s push-in of Bengali speaking people into Bangladesh raises concern.