Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said that if the Bharatiya Janata Party comes to power in West Bengal following the upcoming Assembly elections, the process of allocating land for border fencing along the Indo-Bangladesh border will be completed within 45 days.
Addressing the media during the release of a “white paper” against the Trinamool Congress government, Shah criticised the state administration for failing to provide land required for fencing. “The Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee, often blames the Border Security Force (BSF) for illegal infiltration. What will the BSF do if the state government does not provide the land required for erecting barbed fencing at the Indo-Bangladesh border in the state? The state government had deliberately avoided allotting land for border fencing, since illegal infiltrators are the main vote bank of the ruling Trinamool Congress. But it is our promise that after the Assembly election in the state, the BJP will form the government in West Bengal, and within 45 days from that land allotment process for border fencing will be completed,” he said.
Shah also asserted that the BJP aims to address concerns over demographic changes in the state, which he attributed to illegal infiltration. “West Bengal is now the only corridor of infiltration in the entire country. But the BJP is determined to drive out each infiltrator from the country. This vote is a vote to be free from the fear of losing one’s life, a vote to be free from the fear of losing one’s freedom, a vote to be free from the fear of changing social order, a vote to be free from the fear of losing property, a vote to be free from the fear of losing one’s income and a vote to stand for a bundle of trust,” he said.
Criticising the current law and order situation, Shah claimed that governance in West Bengal has deteriorated significantly under the Trinamool Congress, adding that some people now view the earlier Communist regime as comparatively better.
He further alleged that crimes against women have been at their worst during the present administration. “The safety of the women in West Bengal had been the worst during the current Trinamool Congress regime. All those involved in crimes against women are associates of Trinamool Congress. Such offenders should be punished regardless of their political affiliations. That is exactly what is happening in the BJP-ruled states. That will happen in West Bengal also after the BJP comes to power in West Bengal after the elections,” Shah said.
During the press conference, the Home Minister also praised Suvendu Adhikari, Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, for what he described as his fearless role in leading protests against the state government.
