New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday claimed that the rise in India’s Muslim population to 24.6% is due to large-scale infiltration from neighbouring countries, specifically Bangladesh and Pakistan. Speaking at a memorial lecture in honour of former Dainik Jagran editor-in-chief Narendra Mohan, Shah asserted that illegal infiltration threatens the integrity of India’s electoral system and national security.
Backing the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, Shah argued that the presence of infiltrators on voter lists undermines the Constitution. “Only Indian citizens should have the right to vote. Infiltrators should not be allowed to influence our democracy,” he said. Shah reiterated the BJP’s long-standing position on illegal migration, stating the party follows a “detect, delete, and deport” policy: identifying infiltrators, removing them from the voter list, and deporting them from the country.
Quoting census data, the Home Minister highlighted demographic changes to support his claim. He said that in 1951, Hindus comprised 84% of the population and Muslims 9.8%. By 2011, Hindu representation had fallen to 79% and Muslims had risen to 14.2%. “Today, the Muslim population has reached 24.6%. This increase occurred due to infiltration,” he said, without citing current official census figures.
Shah also criticised opposition parties for challenging the SIR exercise, accusing them of defending illegal migrants to protect vote banks. “The opposition is opposing this because their vote banks are getting cut. But it is the Election Commission’s constitutional duty to maintain a clean voter list,” he said, adding that critics are free to seek legal recourse.
Clarifying the government’s stance, Shah drew a distinction between refugees and infiltrators. “Those who have not faced religious persecution and enter India illegally for economic or other reasons are infiltrators,” he said. He warned that unrestricted entry could turn India into a “dharamshala” (shelter for all). Shah further alleged that some political parties have provided shelter to illegal migrants for electoral benefits. “Our Gujarat also shares a border, so does Rajasthan but infiltration does not happen there,” he added.
