Kolkata, 15 April (H.S.) : Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said that the Election Commission has only removed “infiltrators” from the voters’ list in West Bengal, and the next step would be to push them beyond the country’s borders.

Addressing a public rally in Tufanganj in Cooch Behar district during campaigning for the upcoming Assembly elections, Shah said that if the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) comes to power, India’s eastern borders will be sealed in a manner that “not even a bird will be able to fly across.”

He alleged that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was not providing land to the Border Security Force required for fencing work along the border. Shah claimed that a BJP government would complete the fencing process within 45 days.

The Union Minister said the issue is not limited to preventing fresh infiltration, but also involves identifying and removing those who have already entered the country. He accused the Trinamool Congress government of not being serious about the issue of infiltration.

Referring to the Special Intensive Revision exercise of electoral rolls, Shah said that while names have been deleted from the voters’ list, the matter is being politicised. The Trinamool Congress has, however, alleged bias in the process.

Shah also accused the West Bengal government of neglecting North Bengal, claiming that the region has not received adequate attention in the state budget. He promised that if the BJP comes to power, the Rajbanshi language would be included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution and a “Narayani Battalion” would be formed.

Earlier in Rajganj in Jalpaiguri district, Shah also said that a BJP government would recover every rupee of alleged corruption money from Trinamool Congress leaders and return it to the people.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh