Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday mounted a sharp and politically charged attack on the West Bengal government, accusing it of deliberately obstructing the construction of border fencing along the Bangladesh frontier and allowing large-scale infiltration for electoral gains. Shah termed the situation a grave national security concern and warned that illegal immigration would become a decisive issue in the upcoming elections.

Speaking at a public event, the Home Minister squarely blamed the Trinamool Congress-led government for failing to provide land required for border fencing. “It is the West Bengal government which is not allotting land to establish border fencing along Bangladesh,” Shah said, questioning the state leadership’s intent and accountability.

Drawing comparisons with other border states, Shah challenged the West Bengal Chief Minister to explain the contrasting situation. “Can the Chief Minister answer why infiltration has stopped at the borders of Tripura, Assam, Rajasthan, Punjab, Kashmir and Gujarat?” he asked. He then asserted that the answer lies in political complicity. “It is because, in West Bengal, infiltration occurs under your watch to bring about demographic change and strengthen your votes,” Shah alleged.

The Union Home Minister underlined that infiltration from the Bengal border is not merely a regional or political issue, but one that directly affects the nation’s security framework. “Infiltration happening from the Bengal border is an issue of national security,” he said, adding that unchecked cross-border movement poses serious risks to internal stability, law and order, and social harmony.

Shah further made it clear that the Bharatiya Janata Party intends to place the issue at the centre of its political campaign. “The next election will be fought on the issues of stopping infiltration and removing infiltrators from here,” he declared, signalling a hardline stance and an aggressive political narrative ahead of the polls.