MALDA, Jan 17: With the high-stakes West Bengal polls barely months away, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday made infiltration the central plank of his offensive against the TMC government, alleging that large-scale illegal migration altered the state’s demography, fuelled riots, and thrived due to the ruling party’s “patronage and syndicate raj”.
Amid the ongoing political controversy over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, Modi sought to reassure refugees such as the Matuas, who migrated to India after facing religious persecution in neighbouring Bangladesh, asserting that they had nothing to fear.
Sharpening the battle lines and setting the tone for the 2026 electoral contest in the state, where the BJP is the principal challenger to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress, Modi accused TMC of “thuggery” and said its “politics of threatening and intimidating the poor” would soon come to an end, with Bengal, which is surrounded by BJP-ruled states, ready for what he called “Asol Paribartan”(real change).
Modi, who is on his second visit to the state in less than a month, launched a series of rail and road infrastructure projects worth about Rs 3,250 crore in the state and flagged off the first Vande Bharat sleeper train between Howrah and Guwahati before his rally in Malda, a key electoral battleground.
Addressing the mega rally in the Muslim-majority district of North Bengal, Modi said infiltration posed “a very big challenge” and alleged that TMC has an alliance with infiltrators, remarks that clearly indicated that illegal migration will be the central election issue of the BJP campaign in the state.
The elections to the 294-member West Bengal Assembly are due in less than three months.
“There are developed and prosperous countries in the world that have no shortage of money, yet they are removing infiltrators. It is equally necessary to remove infiltrators from West Bengal,” he said, adding that a BJP government would take “big action” to stop illegal migration and weed out infiltrators if voted to power.
Claiming that the impact of infiltration was visible on the ground, the Prime Minister said the demographic balance had changed in many parts of the state.
“People tell me that in several places, even the spoken language is beginning to change. Differences are emerging in language and dialect. Due to the increasing population of infiltrators, riots have started occurring in many areas of West Bengal, including Malda and Murshidabad,” he said.
Modi alleged that the TMC’s “syndicate” system was working to ensure infiltrators were settled in the state, claiming there was an “alliance between infiltrators and the ruling party”, a charge the BJP has increasingly foregrounded as it sharpens its campaign against the Mamata Banerjee-led government.
“You will have to break this alliance. I assure you that as soon as a BJP government is formed, strict action will be taken against infiltration and infiltrators,” he said.
At the same time, Modi sought to assuage fears of refugee communities, particularly the politically significant Matua and Namasudra communities, which have figured prominently in the citizenship debate and emerged as a key BJP support base since 2019.
“This is Modi’s guarantee that genuine refugees, including the Matua and Namasudra communities who fled religious persecution in neighbouring countries, need not fear. The Constitution grants them the right to live here, and the CAA ensures their protection,”he said, adding that a future BJP government would accelerate development in refugee settlements.
The Prime Minister’s remarks came amid heightened anxiety in refugee-dominated areas over the ongoing SIR of electoral rolls, with sections of the Matua community fearing deletions ahead of the polls.
The Matuas, a Dalit Hindu refugee community that migrated from Bangladesh over decades following religious persecution, have seen the first statewide SIR since 2002 revive concerns over identity, citizenship, and political assurance.
With a decisive presence across 40–50 Assembly seats in North 24 Parganas, Nadia, and parts of South 24 Parganas, the community has emerged as a critical electoral bloc, placing it at the centre of the political churn ahead of the assembly elections.
The twin emphasis -a hard line on infiltration and a protective assurance to persecuted refugees- by Modi, underscored the BJP’s attempt to pitch itself as a defender of national security and a guarantor of refugee rights in the run-up to the polls.
Recalling the BJP’s electoral victory in Bihar, he expressed confidence that Bengal would also give the party an overwhelming mandate in the upcoming elections.
The Prime Minister accused the TMC government of blocking welfare schemes meant for the poor and preventing the benefits of central programmes from reaching people.
“Should Bengal not receive the benefits of schemes like free electricity?” he said. “The real welfare of the people of Bengal will happen only when there is no obstructive TMC government here, but a pro-people BJP government instead.”
“TMC is the enemy of the poor people of the state. Bengal is surrounded by BJP governments that stand for good governance. Now it is time for good governance in Bengal too,” he said.
Modi also coined a campaign slogan for the polls -“Paltano darkar, chai BJP sarkar” (There is a need for change, we want a BJP government).
Alleging large-scale corruption, Modi said the “heartless and cruel” TMC government was looting public money and siphoning off central funds meant for the poor.
“I want every poor household in Bengal to have its own permanent home. Those who are entitled should receive a free ration. I want the full benefits of the welfare schemes started by the central government for the poor to reach you. But this is not happening because the money sent by the Centre is being looted by TMC leaders,” he said.
He also flagged the non-implementation of the Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme in the state.
“Today, Bengal is the only state where Ayushman Bharat has not been implemented. The TMC government is preventing my brothers and sisters in Bengal from availing its benefits. It is essential to bid farewell to such a ruthless government,” he said.
Referring to recent violence in Murshidabad’s Beldanga over the death of a local migrant worker in Jharkhand, where a woman journalist was allegedly manhandled, Modi appealed to women and youth to take the lead in ending what he described as a climate of fear.
Women, who comprise nearly half of the electorate in the state and have been a key support base of the TMC through welfare schemes, have emerged as a critical constituency amid recent debates over safety and security.
Reaching out to voters in erosion-hit Malda, Modi said the district was facing a “double blow”, corruption and misgovernance by the TMC, and devastation caused by river erosion.
“Every year, hundreds of homes are washed away by the Ganga and Fulhar rivers. People have demanded permanent embankments for years, but the TMC does nothing,” he said.
Alleging irregularities in flood relief distribution, Modi cited a CAG report that mentioned favoured beneficiaries receiving relief multiple times while genuine victims were left out.
“This loot of the poor, even during disasters, will end once the BJP comes to power. We will make strong flood protection arrangements on the Ganga, Mahananda, and Fulhar rivers,” he said.
Holding out a development pitch, Modi said a BJP government would restore the “old pride and glory” of Malda and West Bengal and create new opportunities for farmers and youth.
“We will take Malda’s mango economy to new heights,” he said.
Referring to recent electoral successes in Maharashtra and Kerala, Modi said the BJP was receiving unprecedented support even in regions where it was once considered weak, reflecting growing trust in its development model, particularly among the youth.
Meanwhile, responding to Modi’s allegations of corruption and diversion of central funds, the TMC challenged the Centre to release a white paper on fund allocation to Bengal since the BJP’s defeat in the 2021 Assembly elections.
“Political Tourist @narendramodi claims he wants every poor household in Bengal to have a permanent home. Really? Then why has the Centre spitefully withheld Rs 24,275 crore of Bengal’s Awas Yojana funds?” questioned the TMC on its official X handle.
It also asked why the Centre has so far ignored its challenge to release a white paper on fund allocation for Bengal.
“Why has the Modi government refused our open challenge to release a white paper on fund allocation to Bengal ever since their humiliating defeat in the 2021 Assembly elections?” the party wrote on X.
After the rally, Modi flew to Assam, where he witnessed a performance of the traditional Bagurumba dance of the Bodo community in Guwahati. The Prime Minister will return to West Bengal on Sunday to inaugurate some more projects and will address a rally at Singur. (PTI)
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