Infiltration biggest challenge for West Bengal, refugees need not worry: PM attacks Mamata

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday reiterated the infiltration issue in West Bengal alleging that large-scale illegal migration has altered the State’s demography, triggered riots, and thrived due to the ruling party’s “patronage and syndicate raj”.

In a separate public address in Guwahati, PM attacked Congress for opening doors for infiltrators as they formed its vote bank. He accused the grand old party for being the stumbling block for the development of entire north eastern region.

Launching a sharp attack on the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government in the State, amid the ongoing political controversy over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and ED raids on the political consultancy firm of TMC, Modi sought to reassure refugees such as the Matuas, who migrated to India after facing religious persecution in neighbouring Bangladesh, asserting that they had nothing to fear.

Addressing a mega rally in this Muslim-majority district of Malda town, the PM said infiltration posed “a very big challenge” in West Bengal. He said that the BJP, once voted to power, would take “big action” to crack down on infiltrators and stop illegal migration in Bengal. “There are developed and prosperous countries in the world which have no shortage of money, yet they are removing infiltrators. It is equally necessary to remove infiltrators from West Bengal,” PM said.

In the evening Modi took part in a roadshow from Assam’s Guwahati airport to Azara, commencing his two-day tour of the northeastern state. During the four-km roadshow, Modi witnessed Assam’s diverse ethnic culture amid cheers by people, who had lined up on both sides of the road. He will again address a public meeting on Sunday in West Bengal. In Guwahati, Modi launched a blistering attack on Congress, alleging that the Opposition paralysed the growth and development of Assam when it was in power.

 Addressing a huge gathering at the Arjun Bhogeswar Barua Sports Complex where he witnessed a Bodo folk dance ‘Bagurumba Dwhou 2026’ by 10,000 performers, Modi said Congress always used Assam as a tool for having political gain by keeping the region in a disturbed state.

 “Many issues in Assam, particularly in the Bodoland area, were kept alive by the Congress party for their vote bank politics. BJP government is cleansing sins of Congress, connecting hearts and places in Assam. Sound of gunshots in Assam has been replaced by sound of musical instruments,” the Prime Minister said.Recalling the BJP’s electoral victory in Bihar recently, Modi in his rally in Bengal said he had then remarked that “it was time for Bengal”, and expressed confidence that the State would give the party an overwhelming mandate in the upcoming Assembly elections.

Citing recent electoral successes elsewhere, Modi said the BJP was receiving unprecedented support even in areas where it was once considered weak. Referring to recent civic poll results in Maharashtra and gains in Kerala, he asserted that the party’s development model was earning the trust of voters, particularly the youth.In the rally, Modi affirmed the demographic balance had changed in many parts of West Bengal. “People tell me that in several places, even the spoken language is beginning to change. Differences are emerging in language and dialect. Due to the increasing population of infiltrators, riots have started occurring in many areas of West Bengal, including Malda and Murshidabad,” he said.

Modi alleged that the TMC’s “syndicate” system was working to ensure infiltrators were settled in the state, and claimed there was an “alliance between infiltrators and the ruling party”. “You will have to break this alliance. I assure you that as soon as a BJP government is formed, strict action will be taken against infiltration and infiltrators,” he said.

The Prime Minister also reassured the refugees, especially the politically significant Matua community which has been the BJP’s core vote bank since 2019 riding on the promise of citizenship under the CAA.Stepping up his attack, Modi said the “thuggery” of the TMC and its “politics of threatening and intimidating the poor” would soon come to an end. He asserted that Bengal, surrounded by BJP-ruled states, was now ready for a change.Modi also flagged the non-implementation of the Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme in the state.

The PM, during his stay in Assam, is scheduled to lay the foundation of the Kaziranga Elevated Corridor and flag off two Amrit Bharat Express trains. Modi was received at the Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport here by Governor Laxman Prasad Acharya, besides Chief Minister Himanta and senior officials of the state government.

Several platforms have been erected on the roadside for performances by hundreds of artistes from across the state, an official said. The roadshow began from a round-about on National Highway-17 near the airport and will end at Azara. As per the schedule, he will leave for Kaliabor on Sunday morning to lay the foundation stone for the Rs 6,957-crore Kaziranga Elevated Corridor, and later virtually flag off two Amrit Bharat Express trains, and address a public meeting before leaving for West Bengal again.