Patharkandi/Hailakandi/Silchar (Assam), April 7 Union Home Minister Amit Shah stated on Tuesday that a "change" is inevitable in West Bengal and claimed that once the BJP comes to power in the eastern state, infiltrators would be sent back to their countries.
Addressing election rallies in Assam's Barak Valley, including in Patharkandi, Sribhumi, and Hailakandi, Shah alleged that the Congress provided shelter to illegal immigrants in the region, making them "dominant" in Sribhumi and Cachar districts.
He claimed that the party opposed the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) as it prevents infiltrators from remaining in the state.
"Persecuted Hindus from Bangladesh are covered by this law...the Congress opposes this, but the party welcomes Muslim infiltrators," Shah alleged.
Claiming that India is not a 'guest house', the BJP leader said there is "no place for infiltrators" in the country.
"A 'change' is inevitable in West Bengal. Once the BJP comes to power in the state, all infiltrators from Assam, Tripura, and Bengal will be sent back to their countries," Shah said.
He alleged that the Congress wants to return to power with the "help of infiltrators, but Rahul Baba must know that his three generations cannot make Assam a land of infiltrators".
Addressing another rally in Hailakandi, Shah claimed the Congress had built 700 madrasas for Muslim students in Assam, but the "BJP converted 402 of them into primary schools so that they can also have access to modern education".
In his final rally of the campaign at Silchar, he said that Assam's prosperity can only be assured by removing the infiltrators from the state.
The names of infiltrators are being removed from the electoral rolls by the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), but "Mamata Didi and Rahul Baba are suffering from stomach ache. Let them cry and beat their chests as much as they want, but infiltrators have to go."
He claimed that due to infiltration, the population of Muslims has nearly doubled, but that of Hindus has declined since the 1950s.
"There has been a massive demographic change in Assam due to infiltration, and for this reason, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set up the High-powered Demography Mission to combat infiltration and manage demographic imbalances in the country," Shah said.
Shah said his ministry will soon issue a notification in this regard.
He also said the task of the new BJP government in the state will be to take steps to implement the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in its first cabinet meeting, which will prevent anyone from having four wives.
The Union home minister alleged that Congress leaders have "stooped low in public life since Rahul Gandhi came to the forefront of the party".
"This was evident from Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's statement claiming Gujaratis are illiterate, as compared to voters in Kerala," he claimed.
Shah accused Kharge of calling the RSS and the BJP snakes.
"Ever since Rahul Gandhi became the leader of the Congress, the public stature of all Congress leaders has gone down," he said.
The BJP leader also accused the Congress of humiliating the country by its protest during the AI summit.
"Rahul Gandhi calling the protesters his ‘babbar sher’ (brave lions) shows the low level that the Congress has stooped to," he said.
Shah asserted that Modi declared both Assamese and Bengali as classical languages.
He claimed that the BJP has initiated several projects for the development of the Barak Valley, including the Silchar-Guwahati Expressway, a state secretariat in Silchar, and a centre of AIIMS in Sribhumi, among others.
Shah said voters in the constituencies of the three districts of the Barak Valley have always supported the BJP, but "this time they must ensure that the saffron party and its alliance partners win all 13 Assembly constituencies".
He asserted that the BJP is committed to "protecting 'Jaati' (community), 'Maati' (land), and 'Bheti' (foundation) in Assam".
Shah claimed that the BJP changed the name of Karimganj to Sribhumi, but "how will those with roots in Italy know what the significance of the name change is?" He was alluding to Congress leader Sonia Gandhi.
The Union minister said the BJP is committed to protecting the security, identity, and cultural traditions of the diverse population of the state.
He also asserted that the BJP's manifesto for Assam will be implemented in "letter and spirit".
Elections to all 126 Assembly constituencies in the state will be held on April 9, with counting of votes on May 4.