Shah Favours SIR Rollout Across India

Delivering a lecture in memory of former editor-in-chief Narendra Mohan of a leading Hindi daily, on the topic “Infiltration (Ghuspaith), Demographic Change and Democracy,” the home minister said that voting rights must be reserved exclusively for Indian citizens.

“The BJP has adopted the formula of detect, delete, and deport since the 1950s. We will detect the infiltrators, delete them from the voter list, and deport them from this country as well,” he said.

Shah asserted that a time would come when even the opposition would not be spared. “The opposition says it is the Centre’s responsibility to stop infiltration since the BSF is under its control, but there are areas along the border that cannot be fenced due to difficult topography,” he said.

He added that the Centre alone cannot curb infiltration without cooperation from the states. “Some state governments protect infiltrators as certain parties see a vote bank in them,” he said, adding that free and fair elections were not possible unless the voter list comprised only Indian citizens who had attained the eligible voting age.

Shah stressed that both infiltration and the SIR exercise should not be viewed through a political lens, describing them as “national issues.”

“I want to ask all citizens — who should decide who becomes the Prime Minister or Chief Minister? Should anyone other than the citizens of the country have that right?” he asked.

Underlining that no one should interfere in the SIR process, Mr. Shah accused the Congress of being in denial on the issue, saying the same exercise had been carried out during Congress rule as well.

“The Opposition is opposing the exercise because their vote banks are being cut. It is the Election Commission’s constitutional responsibility to clean the voters’ list. If anyone has objections, they can approach the courts,” he said.

The home minister also referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s August 15 announcement from the Red Fort regarding the creation of a high-powered Demographic Mission to study illegal migration, its impact on social and religious life, unusual settlement patterns, and its implications for border management.

“This mission may spark controversies, but the BJP is determined to protect democracy and the country’s culture. The BJP will always choose the nation, no matter what controversies arise,” he declared.

Drawing a distinction between infiltrators and refugees, Mr. Shah said refugees come to India seeking safety for their religion, while infiltrators cross borders illegally for economic or other reasons.

“Who are infiltrators? Those who have not faced religious persecution but enter India illegally for economic or other motives. If everyone is allowed to come here freely, our country will turn into a dharamshala,” he said.

Shah recalled that Hindus in Pakistan were promised refuge in India by former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru under the Nehru-Liaquat Pact. “Dividing this country in the name of religion was a huge mistake. By cutting off the arms of Mother India, you fulfilled the British conspiracy,” he remarked.

He said successive governments failed to honour that promise, and it was only after the Modi government came to power in 2014 that the pledge was fulfilled through the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). He added that the Act faced unjust criticism and even triggered riots despite the fact that it did not take away anyone’s citizenship.

“The CAA is simply a means to grant citizenship to persecuted religious minorities from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh — a promise pending since 1951,” he said.

Citing data, Mr. Shah pointed out that in Assam, the Muslim population’s decadal growth rate in the 2011 Census was 29.6 per cent. “This is not possible without infiltration. In several districts of West Bengal, the growth rate is 40 per cent, and in some border areas, it has reached 70 per cent. This clearly proves that infiltration has occurred,” he said.

He alleged that some political parties have turned infiltration into a vote-bank strategy. “Our Gujarat also has a border, and Rajasthan has one too — but infiltration doesn’t happen there,” he said.