TMC, BJP war of words over ‘dual voter, infiltrator’ claims
Times of India | 10 June 2025
Kolkata: Two controversies surrounding infiltration, 240 kilometres apart, roiled Bengal politics and prompted TMC and BJP to spar on Monday.In the first incident, photos of Niutan Das, a Kakdwip voter said to be close to TMC, surfaced, which showed him participating in the 2024 Bangladesh protests. In the second incident, it emerged that the husband of Rina Kabiraj, BJP's Bethuadahari gram panchayat pradhan, is a voter in Bangladesh.Pointing out the incident, TMC said on X: "You scream ‘infiltration' while your own house is full of it! Turns out, the biggest infiltrators are sitting in your own party offices, with wedding certificates."Rina Kabiraj, however, said she had no relationship with her husband Sanjit anymore. "My family came from Bangladesh to India in 1971. We were born and raised here," she said.Das, meanwhile, claimed he was an Indian citizen and showed documents, including a PAN and Aadhaar. "I travelled to Bangladesh for some issues related to ancestral property. I have been a voter in Kakdwip since 2014. I lost my EPIC in 2017 but managed to get a new one the following year with help from local MLA Manturam Pakhira. I cast my vote in the 2016 Bengal polls," he said in a video message. However, his cousin Tapan told reporters: "Niutan was born in Bangladesh and holds voting rights in both countries. He came to India after the pandemic to sell some ancestral land and has stayed here since." It has also surfaced that Das was imprisoned in a Bongaon prison for illegally entering India.LOP Suvendu Adhikari alleged that "lakhs of Bangladeshi nationals are registered voters in Bengal."In response, TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said, "Why isn't infiltration being stopped right at the borders? Who is allowing them (to enter India)? Centre and the BSF are in charge of guarding the borders. Our state govt will do its part but it's up to the Union govt to ensure security.""The state police have no role to play along land, sea and space borders. If anyone has, it is Centre and its agencies. Now, you are crying hoarse on infiltration, but whose failure is it?" he added.