Petrapole (North 24 Parganas): Amit Shah on Sunday raised the issue of infiltration from Bangladesh, alleging it has been disrupting “peace” and “Progress” of Bengal, apparently reiterating it as a key weapon in the BJP’s arsenal against the Mamata Banerjee government and to make it a focal point in the party’s bid to galvanize voters’ support ahead of the 2026 assembly poll.
Speaking at the inaugural programme of the new passenger terminal and a dedicated cargo gateway at the Petrapole land port in North Parganas district, the union home minister said, “It is when the scope for legal cross-border movement ends those illegal modes of movement (infiltration) begins. Once this illegal mode opened way, it caused serious damage to the peace of Bengal and India”.
Shah urged the people of Bengal to bring a change in guard in the state to ensure that the menace stopped permanently. “Bring a change in 2026 in Bengal and we will stop infiltration permanently. Lasting peace in Bengal will be possible only when infiltration will be stopped”, Shah added while slamming the Trinamool Congress government for its failure to stop infiltration.
Once infiltration is stopped it will also increase partnership between India and Bangladesh, India and Bhutan, India and Nepal, India and Myanmar, Shah claimed.
The BJP’s focus on infiltration as an electoral issue is not new. While the party tries to align it with a broader narrative of ensuring national security, at the same time it exploits the issue to polarize the voters. Nevertheless, the issue so far failed to yield the desired goal for the party in Bengal. Its fiasco both in the assembly poll and in the recently held Lok Sabha poll, apparently prompted it to leverage the infiltration issue as a significant theme for the 2026 electoral race.
Political observers feel that now with the recent political developments in Bangladesh, where the interim caretaker government has allegedly allowed anti-India and fundamentalist forces to influence, BJP leaders, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, have underscored their stance on controlling cross-border infiltration.
“After the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government in Bangladesh, the anti-India forces got stronger, which prompted many to try sneaking into India. This has made BJP voice fresh concerns.
Reports suggest that the interim government in Bangladesh has permitted greater leeway for anti-India factions, some of which have links to fundamentalist ideologies. BJP leadership thinks such influences could escalate anti-India rhetoric and indirectly encourage migration across borders, complicating India’s security measures. In such a situation infiltration has become a very significant issue for the BJP”, a political analyst in Calcutta said.
“Shah’s remarks are part of a larger series of BJP’s strategy that reinforces their commitment to stop infiltration and enhancing border security. The party believes that a hardline stance on infiltration will resonate with voters, making the situation favorable for the party”, the analyst added.
Shah while speaking at the programme, reiterated with the increase of trade and passenger access in legal ways through land ports, the threat of infiltration and smuggling would automatically decrease creating an environment of “peace”, “progress”, “prosperity” and “partnership”.
Shah claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has brought this change in the concept of land port, which has been playing a pivotal role in border security and development. “Earlier land port used to include the neighbor, but now, on one hand, it boosts bilateral trade and on the other hand stops smuggling and thus play a big role in the development of the country”, Shah said.
To make the bilateral trade stronger, curbing the smuggling, Shah said, Maitri Dwar-the dedicated cargo gateway, “will pave new avenues of business opportunities like transportation, loading uploading and in other allied fields”.
A BJP leader said, “Shah today in other term made it clear that amid infiltration and smuggling, which the people of Bengal are accustomed to, strengthening the infrastructure of the land ports and using it as a tool for friendship and people-to-people connectivity, can curb smuggling and infiltration. So he stressed the need for more such land ports which contribute to the development of the country as well as ensure security
In its electoral rhetoric, BJP leaders frequently contrast their approach with that of opposition parties, particularly the Trinamool Congress for having a lenient stance on illegal immigration for vote-bank politics, which made it clear urging people to bring a change in power in Bengal.
Meanwhile, Shah slammed Mamata Banerjee for her role as a UPA partner that grossly neglected Bengal’s interest and at the same time indulged in corruption by her party workers. Shah alleged that despite being a partner of the UPA government earlier Mamata had done little for Bengal in comparison to the Narendra Modi-led NDA government.
“Modi is committed to the development of Bengal. Today I would like to ask the India alliance…..What she has contributed to Bengal in 10 years of her association with UPA. She does not reply”, Shah said.
He also said that funds allotted by centre for schemes like 100 days job scheme was “sacrificed to corruption”. “Today I would ask a question to Mamataji…Whether this ₹56k CR was paid to the beneficiaries of the MNREGA…Or it goes to the Trinamool leaders?” Shah said