New Delhi, November 3, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s claim that around three crore Bangladeshi infiltrators were among voters categorised as absent during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls has triggered a political confrontation, with BJP leaders defending the statement and Opposition parties demanding documentary evidence.
Defending Shah, BJP Jharkhand spokesperson Pratul Shah Deo alleged that illegal immigration had changed the demographic composition of certain regions, particularly Jharkhand. Citing figures, he claimed the Santhal tribal population’s share declined from 44 per cent in 1951 to 28 per cent in 2011, while the Muslim population increased from 9 per cent to 23 per cent. He accused the Congress and JMM of allowing or encouraging illegal immigration and alleged that infiltrators had obtained Aadhaar and voter identity cards with state authorities’ help.
Shiv Sena leader Shaina NC also defended the BJP’s position, claiming the three crore names referred to by Shah were not genuine voters. She accused the INDIA Bloc of protecting illegal immigrants and questioned why the Opposition was apprehensive about the SIR exercise. BJP national spokesperson Guru Prakash said the public had a right to know who had been listed as absent or untraceable in electoral rolls.
Congress leader Udit Raj challenged Shah to produce documentary evidence and make the relevant records public. He questioned why the government had failed to identify and deport the alleged infiltrators despite being in power for nearly 12-and-a-half years. Samajwadi Party MP Awadhesh Prasad also questioned Shah’s understanding of who qualified as an infiltrator.
Congress leader Manish Tewari demanded that Shah disclose the identities and nationalities of those described as infiltrators. He said that if infiltration had occurred on such a large scale, it would raise serious questions about the Union Home Ministry’s functioning and responsibility for internal security and border management.
Shah made the remarks while addressing the BJP’s ‘Loktantra Bachao, Arajakta Hatao’ march in Hyderabad, organised as part of the party’s campaign against the INDIA Bloc’s opposition to the SIR exercise and its criticism of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
The Home Minister accused the Congress and its allies of protecting Bangladeshi infiltrators and described the INDIA Bloc’s rally in Delhi on Sunday as a ‘Save the Infiltrators Rally’. Rejecting Rahul Gandhi’s allegation that 13 crore voters had been deleted during the SIR process, Shah said the figure included around 6.25 crore voters who had shifted residences, three crore deceased voters and nearly one crore duplicate entries. He separately claimed that three crore Bangladeshi infiltrators had been categorised as absent.
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