New Delhi, Jan 30 (NationPress) Prominent leaders from the BJP expressed their approval on Friday regarding the decision made by the Uttar Pradesh Cabinet to facilitate the permanent resettlement of 99 Hindu Bengali families who have been displaced from what was once East Pakistan. They described this initiative as humanitarian, nationalistic, and significantly overdue.

In response to this decision, BJP MP Praveen Khandelwal stated that the action taken by the government under Yogi Adityanath is aligned with national interests. “This decision serves our nation’s interests because if there’s a homeland for Hindus, it’s Hindustan. If Hindu refugees are not welcomed in Hindustan, then where else can they go? Therefore, Yogi Adityanath’s announcement is indeed commendable,” Khandelwal remarked in an interview with IANS.

Union Minister Giriraj Singh echoed this sentiment, recalling previous resistance to granting citizenship to Hindu refugees. “In the past, there were objections when Hindus fleeing from Pakistan were granted citizenship. Today, as Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath takes this step, we must ask: where else in the world can these Hindus find refuge?” Singh stated.

The Uttar Pradesh Cabinet approved the proposal on Thursday to resettle the Hindu Bengali families displaced from East Pakistan, now recognized as Bangladesh, who are currently living in Meerut district.

This decision is particularly timely, coming before the impending Assembly elections in West Bengal, where the topics of refugee resettlement and citizenship have proven to be politically sensitive.

According to government officials, the 99 Hindu Bengali families have been residing on land designated for a lake in Nangla Gosai village, located in the Mawana tehsil of Meerut district for many years. Officials noted that the families have been living there “illegally” due to the lack of a formal rehabilitation plan, even though their displacement occurred decades ago.

To address this situation permanently, the state government plans to move all 99 families to Rasulabad tehsil in Kanpur Dehat district, where they will be allocated land and resources for resettlement. Officials indicated that this action seeks to balance humanitarian considerations with environmental and legal issues linked to the lake's area.

Party leaders assert that this recent cabinet decision underscores the government's commitment to resolving long-standing rehabilitation challenges while reinforcing its ideological stance on protecting refugees.

Officials anticipate that the resettlement process will commence in the forthcoming weeks.