Six months after a US military flight landed at the Amritsar airport with 116 Indian migrants deported by the Donald Trump administration, Narendra Modi referred to the event that had evoked widespread outrage as a defence for his attack on infiltrators.

“The developed countries which have unlimited resources are taking action against infiltrators. This country cannot tolerate infiltration any longer. They will be thrown out. They have to be thrown out. Who will do it?” asked the prime minister at the Dum Dum central jail ground on Friday evening, without mentioning Muslims. “Not the BJP, not Modi. Your one vote will do it.”

In his address from the Red Fort in Delhi last week Modi had made a similar pitch against infiltrators.

“The demographics have changed. This is creating social problems as well. Infiltrators are taking away the lands of our farmers. This has to be stopped. Those who have come to snatch the livelihoods of our people, have to leave,” said Modi.

In his third visit to Bengal in just over three months, Modi evoked Operation Sindoor and Shyamaprasad Mukherjee to pitch for BJP in the 2026 elections.

“This year is the 125th anniversary of Shyamaprasad Mukherjee. We are his soldiers. He was the first industry minister of the country and had prepared an industrial policy. Had those policies been implemented the country’s economic shape would have been different. But the Congress governments ignored them and the country was forced to depend on foreign countries,” Modi said.

The prime minister referred to India’s military triumph during Operation Sindoor, which he said had a Bengal connect as well.

“The Congress government did not pay much attention to the Ichapore factory. We gave it a new lease of life and it is now producing modern rifles and other weapons. The factory is providing work to youths in the Dum Dum, Barrackpore belt,” he said.

Calling for a sachcha poriborton, aasol poriborton (clean change, real change), Modi said would be possible only if BJP is voted to power in the 2026 Assembly elections. The BJP running Bengal administration, Modi said, would create the Bengal of Shyama Prasad’s dreams, re-open factories, bring investment and employment.

“For all of this to happen, rule of law has to be established first. Corruption has to be rooted out. I want to ask the bhadroloks is this the Bengal you wanted? Is the present day politics in Bengal the right way to do things?” Modi asked.

In his previous public speeches in Bengal, Modi had focused on the alleged corruption among the Trinamool rank and file.

The PM brought up the controversial 130th amendment to the Constitution, which has the provision for sacking a chief minister, ministers in the Centre, states and Union Territories and even the prime minister if jailed in any case, during his speech. Without naming former Bengal ministers Partha Chatterjee and Jyotipriya Mullick, Modi said the amendment was introduced to prevent such ministers from continuing in their role.

“A government employee loses his job if he is arrested. But there was no law for PMs, CMs and ministers. A Trinamool minister is still in jail for his role in the cash-for–jobs scam in teachers’ recruitment. He refused to resign. Another minister arrested in the ration scam also refused to resign. Should such people be allowed to remain in their posts?” asked Modi.

Modi also referred to the classical language status awarded to Bangla, which has in recent times in BJP-ruled states been dismissed as “Bangladeshi international language” and Bengali-speaking workers, mostly Muslims, arrested and deported on many occasions.

Just two days ago, two students were allegedly assaulted in Kolkata for speaking in Bengali.

The state BJP president and Rajya Sabha MP Samik Bhattacharya said, Indian Muslims in Bengal have nothing to be afraid of. “No one will touch them. But this country is not for Rohingyas.”

In a video statement, TMC Lok Sabha MP Mahua Moitra said the prime minister is coming to the state in the "election season" like a "migratory bird".

The TMC leader said the prime minister should answer some questions, the first being the requirement for bringing Bills providing for the removal of the PM, CMs and ministers who are arrested for over 30 days on serious charges.

"You brought in a constitutional amendment Bill on the second last day of Parliament in the dead of the night. What moral authority do you have to bring this Bill, which is essentially going to be able to topple the Opposition-ruled states without conviction, without a trial?" Moitra said. "Out of your 240 MPs, 94 face criminal charges and in your cabinet, 28 ministers face cases," she said.