On April 7, and to really emphasize the BJP’s position on border security and citizenship, Amit Shah stated a change in West Bengal is going to happen. Once the BJP is in power in the state, he said, all those who have illegally entered the country will be sent home.
Shah’s pledge and the push for parivartan
Speaking at a political meeting in Patharkandi, Shah presented the election as a vote on illegal immigration and keeping the country safe. He said India isn’t a place for visitors and doesn’t have room for people who sneak in, and tied this issue to a larger “parivartan” (change) in West Bengal.
He also linked what’s going on in West Bengal to what’s happening in the surrounding Northeastern states. If the BJP wins, he says, people who came illegally from Assam, Tripura, and Bengal will be returned to where they came from. This reinforces the party’s longstanding promise to control the borders much more tightly and enforce the rules more strictly.
CAA, immigration, and claims against the Congress
Shah claims Congress is against the CAA because it will mean no one who entered illegally can stay. He says the CAA does include Hindus who were being mistreated in Bangladesh, and accuses Congress of being happy to accept Muslim immigrants.
He also says that when Congress was in power in Assam’s Barak Valley, they allowed illegal immigration to happen. As a result, many people in places like Sribhumi, Silchar, and Cachar are from these incoming groups. This is a common argument from the BJP, who say their political opponents are using immigration for their own gain.
The discussion about immigration in Assam has a long history. Because of agreements made in the Assam Accord, officials have identified over 170,000 people as being foreigners in the last forty years. Checking who people are, decisions by special courts, and looking at their paperwork have been key parts of this.
What the law can and cannot do
The CAA, which was passed in 2019 and recently put into effect, makes it quicker for Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan (who arrived in India before the end of 2014) to become citizens. It doesn’t directly deal with sending people back, and it leaves Muslims out of this faster citizenship process, which has led to a lot of arguments in the courts and in politics.
Actually sending someone back to their country of origin usually requires proving who they are, following the correct legal steps, having a place to hold them while they’re waiting, and getting agreement from the country they’re being sent to. India uses talks with other countries and controlling the border to send people back, and sometimes officials have said they’ve turned people around based on agreements with neighboring countries. A large number of deportations would be tested by the courts, would be difficult to organize, and would need agreement from other countries.
Barak Valley focus: schools, infrastructure, and language
At another rally, this time in Hailakandi, Shah said that Congress built 700 schools (madrasas) for Muslim students in Assam. The BJP, he said, changed 402 of them into regular primary schools to give more children a modern education. He thinks this improvement in education is good for overall learning, and doesn’t doesn’t get rid of people’s culture.
Shah connected his message about immigration with promises to develop the Barak Valley. He mentioned the Silchar-Guwahati Expressway, a government office in Silchar, and a planned AIIMS medical center in Sribhumi, saying these things will improve transport and health care. He also said Prime Minister Modi has officially recognized Assamese and Bengali as “classical languages”.
He asked voters in all three districts of the Barak Valley to give all 13 of the local assembly seats to the BJP and their partners. He said this would be a statement saying they want to protect “jaati, maati, and bheti” which in the area means someone’s identity, their land, and basic safety.
Escalating rhetoric with the Congress
Shah was even more critical of Congress leaders, saying they are trying to win votes by getting support from those who have entered the country illegally. He specifically criticized Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge for what they’ve said and done recently, and said the opposition is lowering the standard of political discussion and embarrassing the country.
The Congress party has always been against the CAA, saying it unfairly targets people and goes against the idea of everyone being equal in the Constitution. People in civil society and legal experts have also raised concerns about the fairness of the process and the way it will affect vulnerable groups with little paperwork, especially when it comes to becoming a citizen.
Electoral stakes in West Bengal and the Northeast
The BJP is attempting to win more support in West Bengal and hold onto the gains they’ve made in Assam and the wider Northeast. Immigration and border control are now the most important topics, as the party tries to link national security, what’s important to people in the region, and providing services to people, with their campaign messages.
Shah’s promise to send back those who have entered illegally appeals to the BJP’s strong supporters and makes sure the issue of immigration remains the main focus. The outcome will depend on whether voters are more interested in the promise of stricter border control and development, or whether they respond to the opposition’s criticisms about rights, including everyone, and how the government is run.
