New Delhi: The opposition strongly opposed the Immigration and Foreigners Bill on Thursday, citing concerns about its stringent provisions. They argued that granting final authority to immigration officers could be misused by the BJP government to target critics. Lawmakers referred to the recent denial of entry to British academic Nitasha Kaul and US socialist politician Kshama Sawant as examples. They urged the Lok Sabha to send the bill to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) for thorough scrutiny.
Congress MP Manish Tewari and other leaders criticized the bill, claiming it lacks a balance between law enforcement and fundamental rights. They accused the Modi government of using Bangladeshi and Rohingya infiltration as an election issue but failing to address it in over a decade. The opposition also pointed to US deportations of Indian migrants, questioning why many Indians resort to the ‘Dunki route’ if India has a strong global reputation.
DMK’s Kanimozhi warned that the bill could negatively impact 90,000 Sri Lankan Tamils who have lived in Tamil Nadu for decades. Tewari argued that its provisions give the government arbitrary powers to decide exemptions, particularly criticizing the clause that makes an immigration officer’s decision final.
Several opposition leaders, including Sudhakar Singh (RJD), Rajeev Rai (SP), NK Premachandran (RSP), Saugata Ray (TMC), Raja Ram Singh (CPI-ML), Malwinder Kang (AAP), Manoj Kumar (Congress), and K Radhakrishnan (CPM), spoke against the bill, raising concerns over its potential consequences.
