Araria: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday launched a sharp offensive against illegal immigration, vowing that a future BJP government in West Bengal will "drive out every single infiltrator" from the state.

Addressing a Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) function in Bihar’s Araria district, a strategic border region neighbouring West Bengal, Shah framed the upcoming assembly elections as a decisive battle for national security and demographic integrity.

"Elections are around the corner in West Bengal. I am confident that the BJP is going to win. Upon formation of the new government, we shall drive out every single infiltrator," Shah asserted to the gathering.

Focus on Seemanchal

The Home Minister emphasised that the crackdown would not be confined to Bengal, stating that the "process of flushing out infiltrators" would begin in Bihar’s Seemanchal region. He noted that the NDA’s victory in the state's assembly polls last year served as a mandate for this specific agenda, despite vocal opposition.

Shah characterised infiltration as a multifaceted threat that strains public infrastructure and alters local population structures. "Infiltration is a threat to national security," he said, adding that such individuals "feed on ration" and consume resources intended for Indian citizens.

He identified Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Assam as the regions most susceptible to these "demographic disturbances," reiterating the Modi government's commitment to restoring balance.

Tribute to Savarkar

Shah opened his address by honouring Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar on his death anniversary. He credited the legendary freedom fighter with fundamentally shifting the historical narrative of the 19th-century resistance against British rule.

"The Revolt of 1857 came to be seen as India's First War of Independence only after Savarkar... wrote a book asserting the same," Shah noted.

The Home Minister's three-day tour of the Seemanchal region includes the inauguration of new border outposts and a high-level review of security along the porous India-Nepal frontier. His comments set a high-voltage tone for the West Bengal campaign, where the BJP is looking to unseat the Trinamool Congress government.

With inputs from PTI