Mass exodus of NEIs blot on state’s reputation – Moily

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, August 20, 2012 : Terming the mass exodus of North East Indian students from Karnataka as a blot on the state’s flawless reputation for hospitality and goodwill, Veerappa Moily, union minister for power, said that the state government has handled the situation well, but could have prevented the exodus if it had implemented the central government’s advisory and provided protection to North East Indians on time.

Stating that the state police intelligence should have become alert as soon as it received the central government’s advisory, Moily said that the state should always be on the alert to prevent such incidents from taking place again.

He stated that Karnataka’s reputation as a “state with a large heart” has been slightly tarnished because of this exodus.

Declaring that Karnataka has never discriminated against anyone, the minister said that the state’s history is full of people who took shelter here when they were in trouble. Citing examples, he said that poet saint Shri Ramanuja took shelter in Melkote when he got into trouble in Tamil Nadu. The state also welcomed Tibetans when they faced trouble in their own country. He also said that, when he was the CM, Kashmiri students and Shri Lankan Tamilians were also provided shelter in Karnataka.

Criticizing attempts made by certain parties to politicize the Assam riots, Moily said that the UPA government has taken all steps to prepare the National Population Registry to solve the problem of illegal immigration.