Union Home Minister Amit Shah is scheduled to visit poll-bound Assam again this week – his second within a year ahead of the crucial state assembly elections.
A major part of Shah’s upcoming visit, expected to focus on strategic international border areas, comes close on the heels of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to the state, in which he used infrastructure and national security to sharpen the political narrative for the saffron party.
The PM accused the Congress of neglecting the Northeast and putting India’s security at risk, claiming that the grand old party wants to hand Assam over to “infiltrators”.
Interestingly, however, ahead of his visit, the Barak Democratic Front (BDF) on Monday reportedly urged Amit Shah to publish a White Paper on how many “illegal infiltrators” were expelled from India since 2014 (when PM Modi took over). The party, which presents Bengali nationalism across three districts of southern Assam, also cited Shah’s repeated public promises to expel infiltrators from Assam in its open letter.
“If illegal infiltration continues despite your efforts, is it not a failure or lapse on your part,” asked the BDF, a regional political party formed in the Barak Valley to “secure the socio-economic and political rights of the people”.
Observers say Shah’s February 20-21 visit carries high political stakes, signaling the saffron party’s aggressive pre-poll blitz, blending border security optics with the Vibrant Villages Programme and paramilitary showcases to reinforce the benefits of “double-engine” “infiltration-free” governance under Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
“Shah’s border-focused agenda is again expected to launch an aggressive attack against Congress lapses, projecting the BJP as Assam’s protector against Bangladesh-related threats. But the Assam party’s question — Isn’t checking infiltration your job? — is a question that needs to be asked,” observers say.
In Assam’s political landscape, rhetoric on migration and polarisation has always been part of the BJP’s strategy to consolidate votes. In the run-up to elections, Sarma escalated it by referring to Bengali-speaking Muslims, particularly those of Bangladeshi origin, as “Miya Muslims”, suggesting they be driven out of the state.
In his earlier visit, the Union home minister had claimed that Assam’s demography changed drastically under Congress rule, with the population of “infiltrators” rising to 64 lakh from zero. “The population of infiltrators rose to 64 lakh from nil, and infiltrators became a majority in seven districts,” he had said.
“In Assam, migration and identity politics have historically influenced elections more than in many other states. While the strategy is not new, the question is whether it still has in it to outweigh bread and butter issues. It may help the BJP consolidate existing support base, whether it expands to shape the election may depend on other factors,” analysts add.