Reacting to the results of the Falta Assembly constituency re-polling today, Union Minister of State for Education and former BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar claimed that the outcome had exposed the so – called “Diamond Harbour model” as nothing more than “a model of vote -rigging and hollow propaganda.” Speaking to journalists here on Sunday, Dr Majumdar said the BJP’s victory was not the only significant development in the election results. “The bigger news is that the Trinamul Congress has slipped to the fourth position,” he remarked.
Referring to the Left parties’ improved performance, he cautioned against drawing immediate conclusions regarding a political resurgence of the Left Front. According to him, the absence of “Jahangir, alias Pushpa,” from the electoral field had contributed to a section of votes shifting towards the Left. “The people of West Bengal will decide in future who will emerge as the principal Opposition force in the state. However, it is also true that the Trinamul Congress still remains strong in certain areas,” he said. Expressing confidence about the BJP’s future prospects in Bengal, Dr Majumdar asserted that the people of the state would continue to support the BJP for the next 20 to 25 years.
In a politically loaded remark, he further stated: “Pushpa has fled. Next, Pushpa’s boss will also flee,” apparently referring indirectly to senior Trinamul Congress leadership without naming Abhishek Banerjee. On the issue of illegal infiltration and the proposed holding centres for undocumented Bangladeshi nationals and Rohingyas, Dr Majumdar clarified that there would be no “detention camps” in the conventional sense. He said the administration would identify illegal infiltrators and hand them over to the BSF in accordance with established legal procedures.
“The BSF will coordinate with the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), verify their identities, and facilitate their return to their respective country through due process,” he added. Commenting on ongoing efforts to strengthen border fencing and land acquisition in sensitive areas, including the open stretches near the Tin Bigha Corridor in Cooch Behar where alleged objections from Border Guard Bangladesh have surfaced, Dr Majumdar said the work would continue under the supervision of the Central government. “Under the present double-engine government and as per the laws of India, land acquisition and border fencing work will definitely be completed in accordance with all established norms,” he maintained.