There is a difference between refugees and infiltrators: Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday (October 10, 2025), while defending the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, said that in many regions of the country up to 30% “infiltrators” have been caught.

“Tribal population has declined significantly in Jharkhand due to infiltration from Bangladesh. The Congress party is in denial mode on SIR. It has been happening since 1951. It is the responsibility of the ECI to sanitise the voter rolls. Congress protests because they fear losing a vote bank. If you have a problem, go to court; you cannot take out a protest march. The Supreme Court is monitoring the SIR progress in Bihar. In several regions, 30%, 20%, 15%, and 11% of infiltrators have been caught. It is the job and the duty of the ECI to ask if the voter is an Indian or not,” the Minister said at a media event.

Mr. Shah for the first time shared the contours of the high-powered demographic mission since it was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his Independence Day speech on August 15.

The Union Minister said: “This mission will also study illegal migration, its impact on religious and social life, the unusual settlement patterns arising due to changes in population, and its effect on border management. This mission is bound to create ripples, but if one has to choose between avoiding a controversy or saving the country and its democracy and culture, then BJP will always choose the country, no matter what controversies it has to face.”

Mr. Shah said that checking infiltration was not the responsibility of the Union Government alone and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) works on the principle of ‘detect, delete and deport’. He said according to the 2011 Census in Assam, the decadal growth of the Muslim population in the State was 29%, which is not possible without infiltration.

“In West Bengal, the decadal growth of Muslim population has crossed 40% and in some districts it is 70%. Border Security Force (BSF) is there to check infiltration. However, the topography is such that there are several gaps along the border…nobody can stop infiltration from these points. BSF catches them but the terrain is difficult. I want to ask Trinamool Congress government, where do they go first after illegally entering the country? None of the revenue officers in border districts have complained about these people to the police. Who makes their Aadhaar? It is the district collectors. Centre cannot alone stop infiltration,” the Minister said at an event hosted by the daily Dainik Jagran.

He said the Centre can erect fences at the border but infiltration is encouraged by political parties as they see a vote bank in it. “Why is there no infiltration from Gujarat and Rajasthan? The BSF is deployed there as well. Population, infiltration and SIR [exercise] should not be politicised. Even you (Opposition) will not be spared,” the Minister said.

He stated that there was a difference between refugees and infiltrators. “Refugees are the ones who come to India fearing religious persecution. Infiltrators are those who come here due to economic reasons and enter illegally. This [country] is not a dharamshala (guest house). Those who came here during Partition are welcome. The Hindus of Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan have the same rights in India as I have,” he said.

He said the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) was brought in for the Hindus who fled Bangladesh and Pakistan due to religious persecution. “Media was unfair to me. They never promoted the fact that CAA does not snatch citizenship, but it only provides citizenship. It is a provision to give citizenship to refugees,” the Minister pointed out.

“Dividing this country in the name of religion was a very big mistake. By cutting off the arms of Mother India, you made the British conspiracy successful,” Mr. Shah said.

He said that after Independence, leaders at the time had promised the minorities of neighbouring countries that they would be provided citizenship but asked them not to cross into the country yet as riots were happening in the area. “This was part of the Nehru-Liaquat Pact. But the Congress governments did not give them citizenship, they turned them into refugees. When Modiji government was formed with full majority, then we gave them citizenship,” he said.

“In the Census conducted after Independence in 1951: Hindus 84%, Muslims 9.8%, in 1971: Hindus 82%, Muslims 11%, in 1991: Hindus 81%, Muslims 12.21% and in 2011: Hindus 79%, Muslims 14.2%. The growth rate of Muslim population in India is 24.6%. This increase occurred due to infiltration,” the Minister added.