Shah: Infiltration Main Poll Plank In WB for 2026

Kolkata: Making “infiltration” a key poll plank in the upcoming West Bengal Assembly Election, union home minister Amit Shah on Tuesday accused chief minister Mamata Banerjee of patronising illegal immigrants in the state for her votebank. He also vowed to end infiltration by dethroning the Trinamul Congress supremo with a “two-third majority” to BJP in 2026.

Hitting back at Mr Shah immediately, Ms Banerjee sarcastically wondered whether BJP was behind the recent terror attacks at Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir and near Lal Quila in New Delhi if infiltration did not happen there. She also took potshots at him over his target of seats for BJP.

Mr Shah said at a press meet in the city, “The upcoming polls are going to be fought on the issue of evicting the infiltrators and stopping infiltration here. Infiltration across borders is no more an issue of Bengal. It has become a national security issue. Borders should be sealed to protect the culture and security of the country. A Deshbhakt Sarkar (patriotic government) is needed here. What Ms Banerjee failed to do, BJP will do that.”

Throwing a volley of questions to Ms Banerjee, the BJP stalwart wondered, “People of Bengal are terrorised by infiltrators everywhere. Can there be any government that turns its own state into a safe haven for infiltrators? The CM must answer in the polls how big a threat the infiltrators have posed to national security? What are her plans to stop infiltration?”

He then alleged, “When Article 370 was abrogated and the CAA was introduced to give citizenship to the Bengali migrants, she opposed them. She often blames BSF for not stopping infiltration. But I ask her: which government is not giving its land for barbed wire fencing at the Bangladesh borders? If she can't answer then I must say: it's your government. As a result, the fencing work can't be completed.”

Mr Shah also claimed, “When the infiltrators cross the difficult geographical borders, they go to the villages of Bengal. What are your police stations doing? Why aren't the infiltrators arrested? Why no cases on them? Why aren't they sent back? Do you have answers to all these? Can the Bengal CM answer why infiltration has stopped in Assam, Tripura, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab and Kashmir? Why is it only happening in Bengal? Because, infiltration happens here under your watch and has changed the demography of Bengal while you cement your votebank. But this won't continue anymore.”

In a retaliation, Ms Banerjee asked Mr Shah from a rally at Barjora in Bankura, “Infiltration happening only in Bengal!? Not in J&K? If that is true, who carried out the Pahalgam attack and Delhi blast? Was it you?” Rejecting the charges against her government for not providing land, the CM pointed out that land has been allotted at Petrapole in Bongaon, Chyangrabandha, Andal among other locations.

In his presser, Mr Shah also revived the target before the BJP of bagging a two-third majority, which his party had failed to achieve in 2021, to come to power in the state next year. He said, “I firmly believe that BJP will form its government here with a two-third majority. People of Bengal have already made up their mind about it.”

He however rejected Ms Banerjee's frequent allegations of a nexus between the BJP and Election Commission in the deletion of voters' names through the ongoing SIR and the Left’s claims of a “setting” between the BJP and TMC behind the central agencies’ lethargy in crackdown on corruption of ruling party leaders including Abhishek Banerjee.

On the other hand, Ms Banerjee threatened to lay a siege at the Election Commission's office in New Delhi if a valid voter's name gets deleted in the SIR. She even argued that those whose names have been deleted already can apply afresh to get listed as voters.