The homeland department of the UK is putting pressure on the Home Ministry to honour its commitment
New Delhi:
On whether India should sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the United Kingdom on illegal immigrants, differences have emerged between the Foreign and the Home ministries.
The homeland department of the UK is putting pressure on the Home Ministry to honour its commitment, but the ministry is stuck as the Foreign Ministry has some reservations about a key provision in the pact that gave Indian agencies about 15 days to verify the antecedents of an undocumented migrant.
"National Security Advisor Ajit Doval also had flagged some concerns about this and that is why it is stuck," a senior bureaucrat told NDTV.
According to him, the government decided to take a relook at the agreement as the National Security Advisor's office brought to the notice of the Home Ministry that the 15-day limit was not enough for security officials.
"If this MoU is signed then most of the Indians who are settled in the UK would be sent back as many of them don't have valid documents. More over the UK is full of people of one community and it can become an election issue in forthcoming polls," he explained.
Junior Home Minister Kiren Rijiju had signed a draft agreement on the issue of illegal immigrants in London on January 10 while the formal MoU was supposed to be inked during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the UK in April. However, New Delhi has delayed the signing of the final agreement. The issue has also led to be one of the contentious issues between two countries.
The homeland department of the UK is putting pressure on the Home Ministry to honour its commitment, but the ministry is stuck as the Foreign Ministry has some reservations about a key provision in the pact that gave Indian agencies about 15 days to verify the antecedents of an undocumented migrant.
"National Security Advisor Ajit Doval also had flagged some concerns about this and that is why it is stuck," a senior bureaucrat told NDTV.
According to him, the government decided to take a relook at the agreement as the National Security Advisor's office brought to the notice of the Home Ministry that the 15-day limit was not enough for security officials.
"If this MoU is signed then most of the Indians who are settled in the UK would be sent back as many of them don't have valid documents. More over the UK is full of people of one community and it can become an election issue in forthcoming polls," he explained.
Junior Home Minister Kiren Rijiju had signed a draft agreement on the issue of illegal immigrants in London on January 10 while the formal MoU was supposed to be inked during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the UK in April. However, New Delhi has delayed the signing of the final agreement. The issue has also led to be one of the contentious issues between two countries.
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