Accusing the TMC government in West Bengal of “abetting infiltration” of Bangladeshi migrants for electoral gains, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said the issue of illegal immigration has gone “beyond the state” and has become a national security concern.
Addressing a press conference in Kolkata on the first day of his three-day visit to West Bengal, the senior BJP leader projected the issue of infiltration as the party’s main poll plank ahead of the Assembly elections in the state and claimed that the state’s demography has been “dangerously altered” over the past few years.
“Mamata Banerjee is abetting infiltration of Bangladeshis for electoral benefit… Ghuspetia (infiltrators) are not only a problem of West Bengal anymore. This has gone beyond that. It is now a question of national security,” Shah said.
Claiming that the people of West Bengal have become anxious about the “infiltration”, the BJP leader said that his party would come to power with a two-thirds majority in the Assembly elections, due early next year, and “stop infiltration” and ensure “revitalisation of Bengal”.
“Na keval ghoospet rokenge, saare ghoospetiyon ko chun chun ke Bharat ke bahar nikalne ka kaam bhi BJP ki Bangal sarkar karegi (The BJP government in West Bengal will not only stop infiltration, but it will also identify every infiltrator and drive them out of the country),” he added.
Blaming the TMC government in the state for not being able to complete the fencing of the border with Bangladesh, the Union Home Minister alleged that the state government was not providing the required land to the Border Security Force (BSF).
“Mamata Banerjee blames the BSF for not stopping infiltration. I am asking her from this public platform, which is the only state government bordering Bangladesh that doesn’t provide land to erect border fences. It is your government, which doesn’t provide land. Which is why the task of border fencing doesn’t get completed,” Shah said.
West Bengal than in other BJP-ruled states like Assam, Tripura, Rajasthan, and Gujarat, which have international borders, Shah said: “Why does it (infiltration) happen only in West Bengal? That’s because infiltration happens here under your direct monitoring, resulting in slow but steady change of the state’s demography to strengthen your vote bank.”
The Union Home Minister said a “strong national grid” would be set up to end infiltration in Bengal. “Insaan chhod dijiye, parinda bhi pur nahin maar paye, is prakar ki mazboot grid ki rachana hum karenge (forget humans, even birds won’t be able to breach the grid we intend to build),” Shah said.
He also rejected Congress and Left Front’s charge of a “secret understanding” between the BJP and the TMC.
“BJP never makes relations with those who give shelter to ghuspetias (intruders),” he said.
Amid growing fear among the Matua community over the Election Commission’s ongoing Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in the state, Shah assured the Hindu migrant community that the voting rights of those who have applied for citizenship under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act would be protected.
“The people from the Matua community have nothing to worry about. Every refugee who has come to India will be treated as a citizen. This is the BJP’s promise. No one can harm them, not even Mamata Banerjee,” he said, adding that protection for refugees would continue alongside action against infiltrators.
Shah also took on the Mamata government over the law and order situation in the state and alleged that the TMC had surpassed the Left in institutionalising politics of fear and violence.
“People of Bengal have resolved to replace fear, corruption and misgovernance with good governance,” Shah said.
“It was believed that politics of violence and revenge would end once the Communists were defeated, but they have surpassed even the Communists,” he alleged.
“There is no safety for women in Bengal. The incidents at RG Kar Medical College, Sandeshkhali and at the South Calcutta Law College stand testimony to how unsafe this state has become for women,” he added, referring to rape and murder cases.
He further alleged that over 300 BJP workers had been killed and more than 3,000 were still unable to return to their homes. “They are being pressured that they will be allowed to return only if they carry the TMC flag,” he said.
Shah said several top TMC leaders had been jailed on charges of corruption, with machines used to count recovered cash malfunctioning due to overheating.
On the economy, Shah alleged that the state had seen an “unprecedented slide”, with industries leaving due to misgovernance.
When asked about delays in Kolkata Metro projects, Shah said the work was stalled due to the state government’s failure to provide land. “I have written seven letters to Mamataji. In the last six years, the Home Secretary has come to West Bengal for three meetings. Why is the Trinamool government not giving land?” he asked.
Asked about expelled TMC MLA Humayun Kabir’s claim about building a Babri Masjid-style mosque in Murshidabad and the state government’s plans to build temples, Shah said, “Who is doing the politics of temples and mosques in Bengal? An MLA who quit Trinamool, and Trinamool itself. The time has come for the people of Bengal to understand who is right.”
On the chief minister’s plan to construct temples, Shah said, “We welcome the construction of temples, but it is too late.”
“The people of Bengal have firmly resolved to replace the environment of fear, corruption, and infiltration by reestablishment of its heritage, development, and uplift of the poor, which can only be brought about by a strong and focused BJP government,” he said.
“People of Bengal have given Congress, Left and TMC opportunities to govern. Now I appeal to them to give the BJP a chance,” he added.