Guwahati, Saturday, February 25, 2006
A country cannot have 2 sets of laws
By A Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI, Feb 24 The UPA Governments bid to get the Foreigners (Tribunals) Order, 1964 amended for the purpose of making two legislations one for Assam and the other for the rest of the country amounts to treason. A single country cannot have two sets of law to deal with foreign nationals, said noted political scientist and former Vice-Chancellor (VC) of Gauhati University (GU) Dr Debo Prasad Barooah here today. It is pertinent to mention here that Dr Barooah was one of the leading theoreticians of the six-year-long anti-aliens Assam agitation, which culminated in the historic Assam Accord in 1985.
Reacting to the UPA Governments attempt at amending the Foreigners (Tribunals) Order, he also said, The Governments latest move concerning the Order was another instance that under the façade of federalism Assam was subjected to nothing better than the travails of a sort of internal colonialism.
Moreover, what the Government has done is a flagrant violation of the Supreme Court order on the IM (DT) Act. Anyone having the slightest knowledge of the Supreme Court judgement on the now repealed IM (DT) Act has got to readily agree, without a least fear or contradiction, that the Government order on two sets of foreigners tribunals is a surreptitious attempt to bring back the IM (DT) Act through backdoor, he said.
The Government initially went out to proclaim from the housetops that they would honour the Supreme Court verdict on the IM (DT) Act in letter and spirit. This was the official stand made public by the Congress-led Governments both at the Centre and in the State. But, now, with the elections round the corner, both these Congress-led Governments have revealed their true colours, he said.
Normally, I do not advise anybody. But in this case, I am prone to advising the powers that be to have a fresh look at the Government of India document named Influxinfiltration from Pakistanreleased in 1963 when the Late Jawaharlal Nehru was alive. They should also go through at least the preamble to the 1950 Act on expulsion of illegal immigrants, he said.
The UPA Governments latest order is also violative of the relevant provisions of the Indian Constitution. Therefore, the Government will be well-advised to gracefully withdraw their orders on the foreigners tribunals forthwith, said Dr Barooah.
Or else, he said that he was afraid that the Government would have to face a massive popular upsurge in the interest of the people of the country.
Umesh Sharma
5121 Lackawanna ST
College Park, MD 20740
1-202-215-4328 [Cell Phone]
Ed.M. - International Education Policy
Harvard Graduate School of Education,
Harvard University,
Class of 2005
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