Over 330 infiltrators pushed back: Himanta Biswa Sarma

Chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma informed the Assam assembly on Monday that over 330 illegal infiltrators were pushed back in the past few months, and that this operation would be expedited in the coming days. "It is not possible for them to return and we are firm on this. The way illegal immigrants have entered the state from Bangladesh and Pakistan, we must be more proactive to keep the state safe," Sarma said while replying to a demand by Opposition members, including Congress' Debabrata Saikia and AIUDF's Ashraful Hussain, for a debate on the issue of the National Register of Citizens.

Saikia said while the government has claimed to have pushed back illegal foreigners, some of these foreigners have re-entered Assam, making the government's stand vague on the issue. Sarma said, "I am an Assamese first and chief minister later."