Phulia, Jan. 4: Senior BJP leader and Union Textiles Minister Giriraj Singh on Monday urged Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to support the implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) if she is genuinely against the infiltration of Bangladeshis into India. Singh accused Banerjee of welcoming Bangladeshi and Rohingya Muslims into the state, claiming it amounts to “treason.”
He also alleged hat days are not far away when Bangladeshi Muslim and Rohinga Muslim will surpass the Indian minorities eventually turning Bengal into Bangladesh.
Speaking at the inauguration of the independent campus of the Indian Institute of Handloom Technology (IIHT) in Nadia’s Phulia on Saturday, Singh criticized Banerjee for allegedly facilitating infiltration.
“Bangladeshi Muslims and Rohingyas come to India walking on the red carpet. It was she (Mamata) who once said that no one can evict Bangladeshis from Bengal. Why is she doing this? Many Bangladeshis arrested in India were found settled in Bengal, and her people have issued Aadhaar cards to them. This is treason”, the Begusarai MP alleged.
“If you are truly against infiltration, you must support the NRC and implement the CAA,” Singh said. He called on citizens to demand the implementation of the CAA to protect their culture and identity.
Giriraj Singh warned that unchecked infiltration could lead to drastic demographic changes. “The day is not far when Bangladeshi and Rohingya Muslims will outnumber Indian Muslims, turning Bengal into Bangladesh, what Mamata actually wants” he said.
Local BJP MP Jagannath Sarkar echoed these sentiments, urging the central government to simplify and expedite the CAA’s provisions. According to Sarkar, this would streamline the process of granting citizenship to persecuted minorities from neighboring countries and protect Indian interests.
Responding to Mamata Banerjee’s recent criticism of the Border Security Force (BSF), Singh said the allegations were baseless and intended to cover up intelligence failures of Bengal government.
Mamata last week had accused the BSF of facilitating cross-border infiltration and threatened protests if such activities continued. Singh dismissed these claims, stating, “It is shameful to accuse a force that stands as a wall to protect us. These accusations are only meant to hide your own failures.”
Ranaghat MP Jagannath Sarkar further alleged that many Bangladeshi nationals had obtained Indian citizenship with the support of the state administration. “They are enjoying dual citizenship and availing benefits from government welfare programs. They cast their votes here and in Bangladesh too. The CAA can help identify such individuals while also protecting local weavers, as many infiltrators are engaged in the same trade,” Sarkar later said.
The Citizenship Amendment Act, passed in December 2019, seeks to provide citizenship to non-Muslim refugees fleeing religious persecution from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh. While the BJP has championed the act as a humanitarian measure, opposition parties, including the Trinamool Congress, have criticized it as discriminatory and divisive. The act, coupled with the NRC, has sparked nationwide protests and debates over its implications for India’s secular fabric and demographic stability.
The Phulia campus of Indian Institute of Handloom Technology constructed at a cost of ₹75 crore, is the sixth such institution established by the central government. With the new campus seat capacity increased from 33 to 60. Students from all the six units were invited to Phulia to receive their awards and degrees for academic excellence.