Calcutta: Union home minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said only a BJP victory in at least 22 of the 28 Assembly seats in Calcutta could save the “City of Joy” from the threat of infiltration, making illegal immigration the leitmotif of his interaction with party workers here on Wednesday.
“Infiltration and corruption are the main issues in Bengal. Even Calcutta is facing a threat from infiltrators. If you feel safe, you are mistaken as infiltrators have already started targeting the city. You all know who can save Calcutta from the threat of infiltration. It is only the BJP and the Union government,” a BJP leader present at the meeting quoted Shah as telling over 3,000 party workers from Calcutta and adjoining areas.
“When you realise that infiltrators have acquired your land, it will be too late. Therefore, you must uproot the TMC government in this (2026) election,” Shah said.
Shah was addressing BJP rank and file from four Lok Sabha constituencies — Kolkata Uttar, Kolkata Dakshin, Jadavpur and Dumdum. There are 28 Assembly seats under these constituencies, including several within the city.
To boost the morale of party workers in the city, where the BJP’s poll performance has not been satisfactory, Shah said: “Dil pe likh lo, is baar BJP power mein aayega (write it on your heart — the BJP will come to power in Bengal this time).”
Several BJP leaders who attended the meeting said Shah’s emphasis on “the sneak-in threat to Calcutta” was a nod to their claim that the Trinamool Congress’s vote-bank politics had enabled infiltrators to take shelter in the city. Since the start of the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, Bengal BJP leaders, including state president Samik Bhattacharya, have flagged pockets of Rajarhat and Salt Lake as hubs for infiltrators.
They claim that the SIR would eliminate such people from the voter list.
The alleged exodus of Bangladeshi nationals through the Bangladesh border has been used by the BJP to highlight how infiltrators are fleeing in fear of the SIR.
“By highlighting the infiltration threat, Shah has endorsed what the Bengal BJP has been claiming for years. The issue became a major point of discussion after the meeting because the warning came from none other than the Union home minister, who has access to official reports,” said a senior BJP leader.
A BJP leader in Calcutta said residents of the city were worried after seeing visuals of the alleged exodus, with many of those leaving the country claiming on camera that they had been residing in different pockets of the city and its outskirts, such as Madhyamgram and Birati.
Shah warned that the people of Bengal, particularly Calcutta, could become foreigners in their own land if the flow of infiltrators “patronised by the TMC” continued for a few more years. “You must promise me that you will ensure the BJP’s victory in 22 of the 28 seats in Calcutta and its adjoining areas. It is not impossible if you look at the statistics and past results,” Shah reportedly said at the meeting.
“We had only three MLAs in Bengal in 2016, which increased to 77 in 2021. Why can’t we win 200 seats in 2026? It is possible if you dedicate your time to the party and reach out to people,” he added.
Rahul Sinha, a former state BJP president who was present at the meeting, said it would not look good if the BJP won Bengal without winning any seats in Calcutta. “That is why Amit Shahji has set a target of more than 20 seats from the city,” he said.
Opposition leaders slammed Shah for raising the infiltration spectre.
“If the Union home minister claims that infiltrators are present in Calcutta, then he must take responsibility. If there are infiltrators, why hasn’t the Election Commission published a list?” Trinamool spokesperson Arup Chakraborty said.
“If infiltrators exist in Calcutta, why hasn’t Shah arrested them? It is unfortunate that instead of protecting people, the home minister is creating panic in Calcutta for political purposes,” CPM central committee member Sujan Chakraborty said.