NEW DELHI, AUG 3: Maharashtra Governments act of deporting alleged Bangladeshis from Mumbai came under attack in Lok Sabha today with Opposition charging the ruling Shiv Sena-BJP combine with committing atrocities on Bengali-speaking Muslims while Shiv Sena denied any Indian was extradited on the pretext of being a foreigner.Initiating a discussion on the issue, Hannan Mollah (CPM) said his party was not in any way against deporting foreign nationals but the Maharashtra Government was deporting Bengali-speaking Muslims who are Indian citizens.
He said though there was a sea of difference between Bangladeshis and Bangla-speaking people, police authorities in Maharashtra were harassing Muslim artisans from West Bengal under the pretext that these were foreign nationals.
Mollah said a vast majority of those whom the State Government sought to deport in recent days were Bengali-speaking Muslims, adding he was prepared to tender his resignation from the house if he was proved wrong.
Madhukar Sirpotdar(SS) vehemently denied the allegation that the State was driving out Muslims.
Demanding an apology from the Opposition for making the charges, he said deportation of Bangladeshis had also taken place during the Congress regime in the state.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
