‘West Bengal election is all about freedom from fear… for youth, women, everyone’: Amit Shah
The Statesman | 29 March 2026
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said if the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) wins in West Bengal, it would arrange land for fencing the India-Bangladesh border within 45 days of taking office, making it a key poll promise ahead of the Assembly elections.
In a sharp pitch to voters, Shah framed the coming election as a choice between “fear and trust”, while accusing the ruling Trinamool Congress of failing to act on infiltration and governance issues over the past decade and a half.
Speaking in Kolkata at a press conference where the BJP released a “chargesheet” against the state government, Shah questioned why land for border fencing had not been provided so far. He alleged that the state administration had held back the process, even as it blamed the Border Security Force for illegal crossings.
He said that once in power, the BJP would complete the land allocation within 45 days and move to stop infiltration through West Bengal, which he described as the “only remaining route” for such entries into the country.
Shah also reiterated that his party aims to identify and remove infiltrators, not just from electoral rolls but from across the country, calling it part of the BJP’s larger agenda.
“The Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee, often blames the Border Security Force (BSF) for illegal infiltration. What will the BSF do if the state government does not provide the land required for erecting barbed fencing at the Indo-Bangladesh border in the state? The state government had deliberately avoided allotting land for border fencing, since illegal infiltrators are the main vote bank of the ruling Trinamool Congress. But it is our promise that after the Assembly election in the state, the BJP will form the government in West Bengal and within 45 days from that land allotment process for border fencing will be completed,” the Home Minister said.
The Home Minister used the occasion to launch a broader attack on Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, accusing her government of encouraging a politics built on fear, corruption and violence.
“West Bengal is now the only corridor of infiltration in the entire country. But the BJP is determined to drive out each infiltrator from the country. This vote is a vote to be free from the fear of losing one’s life, a vote to be free from the fear of losing one’s freedom, a vote to be free from the fear of changing social order, a vote to be free from the fear of losing property, a vote to be free from the fear of losing one’s income and a vote to stand for a bundle of trust,” the Union Home Minister said.
He said the BJP’s chargesheet reflects the concerns of the people of Bengal and claimed the state had seen a decline in law and order, economic growth and industrial activity. According to him, the promise of “Sonar Bangla” had not been fulfilled, with the state instead becoming a hub for syndicates and corruption.
“This chargesheet is a compilation of the dark deeds of the TMC government over 15 years. It is the story of a regime that established syndicate rule by dangling the dream of Sonar Bangla and exploiting the people of Bengal. Under TMC’s misrule, Bengal has turned into a laboratory for corruption. Criminal syndicates are tormenting the public from top to bottom. In the absence of development, Bengal has become, in a way, a graveyard for industry,” he said.
Shah also criticised what he described as the use of a “victim card” in politics, saying voters had begun to see through such tactics.
“Mamata Banerjee has always played the politics of the victim card. At times, she gets her leg broken; at other times, she has her head bandaged; sometimes she falls ill; and then again, she stands before the Election Commission feigning helplessness while hurling abuses at the institution. But I have come to tell her that the people of Bengal have now thoroughly understood this politics of the victim card…”
The BJP leader said the party would offer relief to job aspirants affected by recruitment scams by giving a five-year age relaxation and ensuring a more transparent hiring process.
“In the numerous recruitment scams that have occurred, the age limit for many young people has already expired. We will provide a 5-year relaxation in this, and for those young people whose age limit for recruitment has expired, we will also give them an opportunity in SSC recruitments, along with ensuring a transparent recruitment process,” he said.
He also raised concerns over the inclusion of multiple communities in the OBC list, questioning the criteria used.
“The people of Bengal should know that Mamata Banerjee included 77 communities in the OBC category, out of which 75 are Muslim communities. Are there no other communities left? Will OBC now be decided on the basis of religion? This will not continue for long,” he said.
Shah praised Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari for highlighting issues such as lawlessness and economic distress during his statewide outreach.
“Our opposition leader, Shri Suvendu Adhikari ji, has also toured the entire Bengal before the elections, taking the issues of disorder, anarchy, economic distress, and especially infiltration prevalent in Bengal to every individual,” he said.
West Bengal will vote in two phases on April 23 and April 29, with counting scheduled for May 4.