Shah: BJP Will Win Bengal, Act Against Infiltrators

New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said the BJP would win the forthcoming Assembly elections in West Bengal and take action against illegal infiltration after forming the government.

Addressing a public meeting in Araria district of Bihar during his visit to the Seemanchal region, Shah said, “With elections approaching in West Bengal, I am confident that the BJP will secure victory. Once the new government is formed, we will take decisive action to identify and remove every infiltrator.”

He stated that, as part of a national campaign against illegal infiltration, encroachments within 10 km of the international border would be removed. Shah said the process of identifying and removing infiltrators would begin in Bihar, particularly in the Seemanchal region comprising Kishanganj, Araria, Purnia and Katihar districts.

Describing infiltration as a national security concern, he said states such as Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Assam were vulnerable to demographic changes arising from cross-border movement. He asserted that the Union government was committed to maintaining demographic balance.

Shah’s three-day tour includes meetings with district magistrates and police officials from border districts to review issues relating to infiltration routes and cross-border activities. The region lies close to the Siliguri Corridor, which connects mainland India to the Northeast.

The visit comes amid the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in border districts. While West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has criticised the exercise, the Supreme Court has permitted the revision to continue.

The BJP has raised the issue of illegal migration ahead of the West Bengal Assembly polls, while the ruling Trinamul Congress has rejected the allegations and termed them politically motivated.