Army Defends General Bipin Rawat's Remark on AIUDF, Bangladeshi Immigrants: 'Nothing Political or Religious'

New Delhi, Feb 22: The Indian Army on Thursday defended the remarks of Army chief General Bipin Rawat who said parties like the Assam-based All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) grew faster than the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) due to "population dynamics" altering in the North-East. The Army issued a clarification on Gen Rawat's statement, claiming there is "nothing political or religious" in what he said.

“There is nothing political or religious in the talk. Army Chief just mentioned amalgamation and development in the seminar on North-East organised at DRDO Bhawan on 21 Feb 18,” said the statement issued by the Army.

The Army's response came in the backdrop of the AIUDF taking strong exceptions to Gen Rawat's remarks, accusing him of "crossing his mandate".

“Gen Bipin Rawat has made a political statement, shocking! Why is it a concern for the Army Chief that a political party, based on democratic & secular values, is rising faster than BJP? Alternative parties like AIUDF, AAP have grown because of the misgovernance of big parties (sic),” tweeted Maulana Badruddin Ajmal, the president of AIUDF.

While speaking at a conference on North-East in Delhi on Wednesday, the Army chief said immigration, along with change in demographics, has resulted in the AIUDF growing at a "faster pace" as compared to the "Jan Sangh" of 1970s', the predecessor of the BJP.

"I don’t think now you can change the population dynamics of this region... there is a party called AIUDF. It has grown at a faster rate than the BJP has over the years. The AIUDF is moving at a faster pace in the state of Assam," Rawat had said.

The Army chief also raised concern over the illegal immigration of Bangladeshis in Assam, claiming that Pakistan and China are abetting it to alter the dynamics in the region.

“I think the proxy game is very well played by our western neighbour, supported by our northern neighbour (China) to keep the area disturbed. We will continue to see some migration happening,” he was reported as saying.

Addressing a press conference in Guwahati on Thursday, Ajmal said the remarks of Army chief makes one doubt whether he is being "provoked by someone" to make political remarks.

"We respect Gen Rawat and have faith in him. But I think some political party is misinforming him about us. The AIUDF is a democratic and secular party, whose loyalty lies only with India. We are a party of not just the Muslims, but all sections of the society. In the previous elections, we gave ticket to 25-30 Hindu brothers," Ajmal added.

On the issue of Bangladeshi immigration, the cleric-cum-politician said his party was among the firsts to have petitioned the Ministry of Home Affairs to seal the border on the eastern front. "The AIUDF does not advocate the immigration of Bangladeshis. This is a party of Indians, belonging to all caste, creed and religion," Ajmal said.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 22, 2018 04:55 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).