New Delhi: Union home minister Amit Shah made a pitch for the 2026 West Bengal assembly elections in the Lok Sabha on Thursday (March 27) and accused the TMC-led West Bengal government of “showing mercy to infiltrators” by not approving land, as a result of which fencing work in a stretch of 450 km along the 2,216 km-long border with Bangladesh has been delayed.
Shah’s remarks came in his reply to the debate on The Immigration and Foreigners Bill, 2025 which was passed in the Lok Sabha. Shah in his reply to the debate in the Lok Sabha accused the TMC government of providing voter cards and Aadhaar cards to illegal immigrants and promised that this will stop when the “lotus will bloom” and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) wins the polls next year in the state.
“On several occasions questions are asked about what the BSF and the armed forces are doing about Bangladeshi infiltrators. Of the 2,216 km with Bangladesh, fencing has been done in 1,653 km. A 563-km stretch in West Bengal is still open, of this 112-km stretch is such where fencing is not possible due to difficult terrain, rivers, streams. But 450 km fencing is yet to be done because the West Bengal government is not giving land,” said Shah.
‘Bangladeshis and Rohingyas provided Aadhaar and voter ID cards by TMC govt’
“I have written ten letters, home secretary has done seven meetings with their chief secretary but they are not giving land. When the process of fencing work begins, cadre of the ruling party do hooliganism and raise religious slogans. This 450km fencing has not happened only because of the West Bengal government showing mercy to infiltrators.”
Shah said that while earlier Bangladeshis and Rohingyas would come in from Assam under the Congress government, now they come from West Bengal under the TMC government and are then provided Aadhaar and voter ID cards by the state government.
“Whether it is Bangladeshi or Rohingyas, earlier they used to come from Assam when Congress was in power now they come from Bengal where there is TMC government. When they come in, who gives them Aadhaar? Who gives them citizenship? All of those who have been caught have Aadhaar cards of 24 Parganas,” he said.
“You issue Aadhaar cards, they use those Aadhaar cards and voter cards. You stop issuing Aadhaar cards, no man or bird even will be able to enter. There are elections in 2026, lotus will bloom in Bengal and illegal immigration will stop completely.”
While Shah accused the TMC government of providing Aadhaar cards to alleged illegal immigrants, just earlier this month, the Election Commission of India has set the ball rolling to link voter records with Aadhaar and announced that it will begin the process of technical consultations with Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI).
While the move aims to end duplication, weed out fake voters in a bid to make the electoral rolls accurate, The Wire has reported that it has raised concerns of disenfranchisement and exclusion, posing a threat to the secrecy of the ballot while failing to fix the problem at hand of purifying electoral rolls.
The Immigration and Foreigners Bill, 2025 seeks to repeal the Foreigners Act, 1946; the Immigration (Carriers’ Liability) Act, 2000; the Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920 and the Registration of Foreigners Act, 1939 to enact a new comprehensive legislation “to avoid multiplicity and overlapping of laws on the same or related subject and to comply with the Government of India’s policy of simplification of laws.”
The bill provides that any person using a fake passport or arranging for one may face a jail term of up to seven years. It also provides for denying entry to a person on the grounds of national security.
“This country is not a dharmashala,” said Shah during his reply. “Now the blacklist has a legal backing.”
The bill also provides that all institutions including educational institutions, universities, medical institutions, hospitals and private residences will have to provide information about foreigners residing in their premises.
“Those who come here by established norms to contribute to India’s development for trade business education or to strengthen the legal system they all are welcome. Be it Rohingyas or Bangladeshis, if they come to India to create unrest, strict action will be taken against them,” said Shah.
Opposition members want bill to be sent to JPC
During the debate opposition members raised concerns about the bill granting arbitrary powers to immigration officials and demanded that it be sent to a joint parliamentary committee.
Congress MP Manish Tewari said that the bill has potential to be misused and has serious implications for civil liberties and human rights and criticised the decision of the immigration official as final.
“If there is a person who is against the government’s policies or ideological disposition, will this law not be misused to take action against such a person? This has happened in the past unfortunately,” he said.
“This essentially means there is no appeal, no argument, and no lawyer. Whatever the immigration officer decides will be absolute,” he said on the immigration officer’s decision being final and urged the government to send the bill to a JPC.
In his response Shah defended the provision and said that, “When it comes to security of the country whether it is America, England, Germany or France, there is no appeal apart from the court and the same will be the case here.”
Calls to send the legislation to the JPC were also made by Samajwadi Party MP Rajeev Rai who said that the move will strengthen national interest and security.
DMK MP Kanimozhi said under Section 7(2) the bill provides the government absolute power to regulate movement and issue directions to prohibit associations.
“Does this protect national security or suppress dissent? With a mere order a foreigner can be prohibited from activities of the specified description. But who defines this?” she said.
TMC MP Saugata Roy referred to the movie Dunki and said that it shows how youth are using the donkey route to seek a better life in the US and Canada. “They sent our people in handcuffs back to India. Even now we haven’t be able to make our people understand not to go abroad like this,” he said and asked the bill to be sent to a JPC.
