New Delhi: The political battle in Bihar has intensified ahead of the upcoming elections, with the debate over illegal immigration sparking a fresh round of accusations and counterattacks.
At the heart of the controversy is Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s allegation that the Congress and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) are protecting “infiltrators” in the state, particularly from Bangladesh. Addressing a rally in Purnea, the PM warned that unchecked infiltration had created a “demographic crisis” and vowed that the NDA would flush out every illegal immigrant.
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi hit back, rejecting the charge and mocking the Prime Minister with a pointed remark. “Modi ji says there are Bangladeshis in Bihar and Seemanchal. There are no Bangladeshis here. But you have a sister from Bangladesh sitting in Delhi. Send her to Bangladesh. Bring her to Seemanchal and we will drop her there,” Owaisi said, in an apparent reference to former Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina, who has been living in Delhi since her ouster in 2019.
Owaisi’s comments came amid growing friction over the Election Commission’s special intensive revision (SIR) of voter rolls. While the EC argues the exercise is necessary for transparency, opposition parties allege it is an attempt to disenfranchise poor and minority voters. Reports of Nepali, Bangladeshi, and Myanmarese nationals allegedly being registered as voters in Bihar have further fuelled the row.
PM Modi has repeatedly used the issue in his speeches, including on Independence Day, accusing the Opposition of placing vote bank politics over national security. “They have become so shameless they are raising slogans and taking out yatras in support of infiltrators. The NDA is committed to driving out each and every infiltrator,” he said in Purnea.
RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav dismissed the remarks as “diversionary tactics” ahead of elections. “Let us assume for a moment that infiltrators exist in Bihar. What have you been doing? You’ve been in power at the Centre for 11 years, and your alliance has ruled Bihar for 20 years,” Yadav countered.
The row over infiltration is now emerging as a key flashpoint in the state’s political narrative, with national security, demographics, and voter rights colliding in a charged election atmosphere.
