AGARTALA / KOLKATA, Jan 22 (TIWN): Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday assured that Bangladeshi minorities who have taken refuge in India to escape persecution would be granted citizenship."Minorities whether Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, whoever, those who have been persecuted in Bangladesh and taken refuge in India, we have not only validated the entry of such people but also validated their stay in India."We assure you, that time is not far when we will provide them with citizenship," he said.The minister said the government has finalised the standard operating procedure for granting long term visas to such people."Now nobody will be able to harass these refugees," he said.Rajnath Singh also hailed the Bangladesh government for its assistance in curbing smuggling of fake notes and cattle."Be it smuggling of fake currency or cattle, I am not saying completely, but to a large extent, Bangladesh is assisting India in curbing them. Not only that, Bangladesh is also assisting in extradition (of criminals).This miracle has been possible, only because of the Indian government's diplomatic skill," Rajnath Singh said addressing a Bharatiya Janata Party rally here in North 24 Parganas district, some 50 km from Kolkata.He assured that infiltration from Bangladesh would be completely eradicated.

"From fencing to installing flash lights, we will take all measures to secure the Indo-Bangladesh border so that not a single infiltrator manages to enter India," added the minister.