BJP and Opposition clash over Amit Shah's claim of 3 crore infiltrators
The political confrontation follows Union Home Minister Amit Shah's assertion that 3 crore Bangladeshi infiltrators were listed as absent in electoral rolls.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah has claimed that approximately 3 crore Bangladeshi infiltrators were among voters categorised as absent during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, according to Telangana Today. Shah made these remarks during a BJP march in Hyderabad, accusing the INDIA Bloc of attempting to protect these individuals.
BJP Jharkhand spokesperson Pratul Shah Deo defended the Home Minister, alleging that illegal immigration has changed the demographic makeup of regions like Jharkhand. Deo stated that the Santhal tribal population in the state fell from 44 per cent in 1951 to 28 per cent in 2011, while the Muslim population rose from 9 per cent to 23 per cent in that same period.
Shiv Sena leader Shaina NC also supported the BJP, claiming the 3 crore names refer to infiltrators rather than genuine voters. She accused the INDIA Bloc of protecting illegal immigrants and questioned why they were opposing the SIR exercise.
Congress leader Udit Raj challenged the Home Minister to provide documentary evidence and digitise the list to prove the claims. Raj questioned why the Centre had not identified or deported these individuals despite being in power for nearly 12-and-a-half years.
Congress leader Tewari demanded that Shah disclose the identities and nationalities of the alleged infiltrators. He argued that if such large-scale infiltration occurred, it would represent a major shortcoming for the Union Home Ministry.
Addressing the SIR process, Shah rejected claims by Rahul Gandhi regarding the deletion of 13 crore voters. He stated the figures included 6.25 crore people who moved, about 3 crore deceased voters, and nearly 1 crore duplicate entries.