‘Illegal migration harming Indo- Bangla peace’

Two senior leaders of India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Home Minister Amit Shah and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, said yesterday that infiltration from Bangladesh was on the rise and that coordinated efforts to stop it were needed to ensure regional peace and stability.

Shah, on his first visit to West Bengal in six months, raised the issue of cross-border infiltration at two separate events, at one of which he accused Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's government of being involved in "state-sponsored infiltration" and corruption.

At both events, Shah urged the voters in West Bengal to bring about a change of guard by putting the BJP in power in the next assembly elections in 2026 to put an end to infiltration.

"Illegal migration harms India-Bangladesh peace. I want to say to the people of West Bengal, make a change (in state government) in 2026 and we will stop the infiltration. There can be peace in Bengal only if this infiltration stops..."

Meanwhile, in Guwahati, Biswa Sarma told a press conference that Indian states bordering Bangladesh must coordinate among themselves and with the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) to foil infiltration bids in the wake of the political turmoil in the neighbouring country.

He said the Assam and Tripura governments are working together with the BSF already, but it will be a "well-orchestrated effort" only if West Bengal also starts identifying the infiltrators, as those sent back from these two northeastern states may re-enter through it.

"In the last two months, almost every day we have detained foreigners in our state. I feel that due to the porous boundary, in spite of BSF's best efforts, some people are being able to come into India illegally."

The Assam chief minister said 138 infiltrators were identified and sent back from Assam in the last two months by the state police in operations carried out independently and jointly with the BSF.

"We are least bothered about the religion of the infiltrators. If someone comes illegally, they must be pushed back."