Kolkata: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said illegal immigration has altered West Bengal’s demography and triggered riots, intensifying his attack on the state’s Trinamool Congress (TMC) government over the “infiltration” issue ahead of the upcoming state elections.
Addressing a rally in the Malda district, Modi promised a “big action” against infiltrators if the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) wins the high-stakes assembly polls.
“Infiltration is a big challenge for Bengal… Demography is losing its balance. Differences can be noticed in the language in some areas. With the rise in the population of infiltrators, there has been an increase in riots in areas such as Malda and Murshidabad,” Modi said.
Modi also flagged off the first set of Vande Bharat sleeper trains between Howrah and Guwahati as he inaugurated rail and road infrastructure projects worth ₹3,250 crore. The fully air-conditioned sleeper train is expected to reduce travel time between Howrah and Guwahati by approximately two-and-a-half hours.
Sharpening his attack on the chief minister Mamata Banerjee-led TMC, Modi accused the state’s ruling party of assisting illegal immigrants for “vote bank politics”, harming the interests of the state’s people and raising security concerns.
“For years now, TMC leaders and the syndicates have engaged in a game to help the illegal immigrants settle and make them voters of the country. The illegal immigrants snatch the rights of the poor people, employment opportunities, and torture women and encourage terrorism and other criminal activities,” he said.
The BJP has positioned the issues of “infiltration” and “illegal immigration” as its central planks for the Bengal polls, which will be held against the backdrop of the contentious Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The TMC has rejected the allegations and accused the BJP of trying to build a false narrative while attempting to disenfranchise marginalised voters.
“Even developed and rich countries are flushing out infiltrators from their country. It is important for Bengal too to flush out the illegal immigrants. But is it possible till the TMC government is there? Will they ever do it?” Modi said.
He, however, assured the politically significant Matua community — a quasi-religious sect comprising largely of Dalit people who moved to India from erstwhile East Pakistan around the time of Partition and for roughly two decades afterwards — that they would face no threat.
“People who have taken refuge in India to save themselves from persecution, the Matua community, have no reason to fear. The Constitution has given them rights. The Constitution has given them the rights. Modi has given the refugees full protection through CAA,” he said.
Matua community members are included in the Scheduled Caste (SC) category and influence election results in approximately 74 of Bengal’s 294 assembly seats, according to surveys conducted by TMC and BJP.
The PM also accused the TMC government of blocking welfare schemes meant for the poor and preventing the benefits of central programmes from reaching people. “Should Bengal receive the benefits of schemes like free electricity or not?” he asked. “The real welfare of the people of Bengal will happen only when there is no obstructive TMC government here, but a pro-people BJP government instead.”
He also attacked the government on issues of corruption and women’s safety, saying that a BJP government needs to come to power in the state to bring Bengal back to its glory. He said the “thuggery” of the TMC and its “politics of threatening and intimidating the poor” would soon come to an end, asserting that Bengal, surrounded by BJP-ruled states, was now ready for a change.
“Bengal is surrounded on all sides by BJP governments that stand for good governance. Now it is time for good governance in Bengal too,” he said.
The TMC rejected his allegations and said the people of the state were firmly behind chief minister Mamata Banerjee. “He made some vague statements and some spicy slogans. No matter what they say about change, Mamata Banerjee will come back to power. His call for poriborton (change) will come to a halt as the TMC will come back to power,” Kunal Ghosh, TMC leader, told the media.
Earlier in the day, Modi also virtually flagged off four Amrit Bharat Express trains connecting New Jalpaiguri with Nagercoil and Tiruchirappalli, and Alipurduar with SMVT Bengaluru and Mumbai (Panvel).
