The Bengal BJP is hoping that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s August 22 visit here would be significant against the backdrop of his Independence Day speech announcing the launch of the Demography Mission to free India from infiltrators.

Modi is scheduled to visit Bengal on August 22 and attend a rally at Dum Dum Central Jail ground after inaugurating three Metro corridors in Calcutta.

BJP sources said Modi’s mission could effectively counter chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s “Bengali-phobia” and “backdoor NRC” narratives.

“The Demography Mission will play a pivotal role in Bengal politics as its primary focus is eastern India, particularly Assam and Bengal. Ahead of the 2026 Assembly polls, this mission is vital for Bengal as infiltration and fake voter names are major concerns for the BJP,” said a senior BJP leader in Calcutta.

Amid the “Bengali-phobia” issue raised by Mamata over “atrocities” against Bengali-speaking migrants in BJP-ruled states, the Bengal BJP has been accusing Trinamool of appeasing the Rohingya and Bangladeshi infiltrators.

“Modiji has explained why the Demography Mission is required. He said that the rights, jobs and land of Indian citizens are being grabbed by infiltrators. We believe his speech on August 22 here will expand on that narrative and help the party counter the Trinamool’s politics on Bengali sentiment,” said another BJP leader.

BJP state president Samik Bhattacharya claimed that the BJP was the only party “seriously” fighting infiltration since the 1980s.

“Is there any other political party that has seriously addressed infiltration? Modiji is also deeply concerned about it. Our target is to detect and deport all infiltrators and make the electoral roll free of fake names,” he said.

However, a section of BJP insiders claimed that the narrative of the Demography Mission should be presented carefully so as not to create panic among Hindu refugees who migrated from Bangladesh, as they are considered a key BJP vote bank.

BJP leaders have started helping Hindu refugees apply for citizenship under the CAA in refugee-dominated districts such as North 24-Parganas, Nadia and South Dinajpur.

Trinamool spokesperson Arup Chakraborty claimed that Modi’s Demography Mission posed a threat to Hindu refugees forced to flee East Pakistan after the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War.

“Most of the people who came to India after the 1971 war were Hindus. Back then, the Hindu population in Bangladesh was 23 per cent, which has now fallen to only 8 per cent. Most Hindu refugees came to Bengal, Tripura or Assam. The Demography Mission poses a threat to those Hindu refugees by branding them as infiltrators,” he said.