Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday claimed that while infiltration across the India-Bangladesh border has been successfully curbed in Assam, it continues unabated in West Bengal due to what he described as the state government’s “red carpet welcome” for illegal immigrants.
Speaking at a media conclave organised by ABP News and Hindustan in Patna, Shah said infiltration has been effectively checked in BJP-ruled Assam but remains a concern in neighbouring West Bengal because of political patronage.
“When people cross over from Bangladesh, the local police and officials in Bengal don’t raise an alarm because they are under instructions from above to give infiltrators a red-carpet welcome,” Shah said.
He urged West Bengal voters to oust Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in next year’s assembly elections, promising that a BJP government would “drive out every infiltrator” from the state.
Backing the Election Commission’s ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, Shah said the exercise would help eliminate bogus voters and infiltrators from electoral lists.
“It is surprising that the opposition is objecting to an initiative that aims to clean up the voter rolls. I fully support the SIR, and it will eventually be carried out across the country,” he said.
Responding to opposition criticism that infiltration reflects poorly on the Centre’s handling of border security, Shah pointed to the difficult terrain along the Bangladesh border.
“Those sitting in Lutyens Delhi don’t understand the reality of the border — dense forests, flooding rivers, and washed-away patrol boats make continuous fencing and vigilance impossible,” he explained.
Shah also took aim at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, mocking him for “abandoning” his allegations of electoral malpractice.
“In the past 15 days, Rahul Gandhi hasn’t repeated his ‘vote theft’ charge even once. Perhaps Bihar’s feedback made him drop it,” Shah said, referring to Gandhi’s Voter Adhikar Yatra in the state earlier this year.
Defending the proposed 130th Constitutional Amendment Bill, which provides for the removal of ministers jailed for 30 days or more, Shah rejected claims that it was aimed at destabilising opposition-ruled states.
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“I resigned when a case was pending against me and only returned after acquittal. Governments cannot be run from behind bars,” he asserted.
Shah also invoked a past incident involving Gandhi, accusing him of disrespecting then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh by tearing up an ordinance designed to protect convicted lawmakers.
The ordinance, he said, was widely believed to have been introduced to benefit RJD leader Lalu Prasad Yadav.
The Home Minister’s remarks come amid renewed political sparring over voter list revisions and infiltration issues, with the BJP seeking to sharpen its narrative on national security and illegal immigration ahead of upcoming state elections.
