The illegal migrants issue is a perennial problem facing the Northeastern states of India. Notwithstanding Assam, the entire region is affected by the evolving complexities of this problem. Therefore, it is pertinent to examine the various factors that make the resolution of the illegal migrants issue problematic. We also need to examine the accompanying politics that are sustaining this problem.

The Assam Accord was signed in 1985 between the All Assam Students Union (AASU), the Government of Assam and the Government of India, after a six year-long struggle spearheaded by AASU. Significantly, many of the social and political agitations in Northeast India have been spearheaded by student organizations. Although the Assam Accord was signed, it has not been implemented in letter and spirit. The momentum was lost by the success perceived by the student leaders who became busy harvesting its political dividends.

Today, 22 years after the agreement was signed, illegal migrants from Bangladesh remain entrenched in the state; their identification and deportation have become increasingly remote. The political parties have played a major role here by maneuvering to consolidate their electoral vote-banks. The Assam agitation peaked in the early 1980s, but has completely dissipated due to the compromises made by the political forces that are driven by narrow interests. There is a 'conspiracy of silence' in their political posturing that has caused many social, cultural and political problems.

The provisions of the Assam Accord, instead of threatening their continued stay in Assam, have worked effectively to enable illegal migrants from Bangladesh to survive the threat of expulsion. This is because of the ambiguity in the procedures laid down for identification of the illegal migrants and the mechanism by which their cases for deportation are processed, which has been facilitated by the political parties, both in the state and at the centre.

There has been a slew of court cases fought over the efficacy of the Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunal) Act (IMDT) to identify and deport the illegal Bangladeshi migrants, which has led to the Supreme Court of India striking down the IMDT Act in favour of the Foreigner's Act. Even thereafter, there have been attempts to bypass this order by amending the Foreigner's Act and providing special provisions for the state of Assam.

The AASU has been at the forefront in pressing for the proper identification and deportation of illegal Bangladeshi migrants. But the latter are protected by the same Assam Accord, and in any case, even its full implementation would not have seen many people being deported out of Assam. This is because there is no effective mechanism to differentiate between the people who had come to Assam before 1971, and those who came after. There have been recent calls by various political parties and student groups to update the National Register of Citizens for Assam, but that process would take long, and is fraught with accurate identification problems. Therefore, political parties like the Assam United Democratic Front (AUDF) are calling for updating the National Register, since it would result in a majority of the illegal migrant's population being legitimized as Indian citizens, which would serve their political interests.

The indigenous Assamese Muslim population has been affected most. Not only do they lack the political power to take a stand here on this controversial issue, but suffer from the psychological backlash arising from the activities of the large illegal Bangladeshi population. There are some Assamese Muslim organizations that have come up in Upper Assam to tackle the identity crisis they are facing. Successive Congress governments in the state have sought to consolidate the Bangladeshi vote-bank, which has paid huge dividends. It was only during the last assembly elections that the IMDT Act was struck down by the Supreme Court, and the Congress faced reverses in getting Muslim votes.

Illegal migrants have managed to infiltrate everywhere in Assam, which has compounded its problems. Social tension is strengthening , which is evident in the text-message campaigns in Upper Assam advocating a social and economic boycott of Bangladeshi migrants. There is a need for a strong sense of purpose in the civil society and student groups to act, and effectively pressure the state and central governments to bring about a lasting solution to the problem, in order to avoid another Tripura-type situation. Demographic changes that become permanent could cause irreversible damage to the rich social and cultural fabric of Assam. This must be avoided at all costs.