PM Modi takes on TMC with infiltration warning and Matua outreach

Kolkata: While issuing a strong warning on infiltration in Bengal, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday reassured the Matua community that it had "nothing to fear", asserting that refugees, including Matuas and Namasudras who fled persecution and settled in India, had been granted constitutional rights under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). He said their security and development would be ensured once the BJP comes to power in the state in 2026.

Addressing a rally in Malda, Modi said "big action" would be taken against infiltrators after a change of government in Bengal. Alleging a nexus between the Trinamool Congress and illegal migrants, he accused the ruling party of nurturing infiltration for vote-bank politics. "Infiltration is one of the biggest challenges facing Bengal. Even developed nations are acting firmly against illegal migrants. West Bengal must do the same," he said.

The Prime Minister charged the Trinamool government with allowing large-scale infiltration that, he claimed, had altered the state's demography and fuelled unrest in districts such as Malda and Murshidabad. Accusing the ruling party of running a "syndicate raj" and indulging in corruption, Modi said infiltrators were taking away the rights and employment opportunities of local citizens.


He rolled out a new campaign slogan - "Paltano darkar: Chai BJP Sarkar" - and said the party would bring an end to what he described as misrule in Bengal. Drawing on recent electoral gains elsewhere, Modi said development would pick up pace in the state under BJP rule and promised "good governance" if the party wins in 2026.

Modi flagged off the country's first Vande Bharat Sleeper trains and six Amrit Bharat Express trains from Malda, saying the new services would strengthen connectivity between West Bengal and the Northeast, including the Howrah-Malda-Kamakhya route.

Highlighting the BJP's broader political momentum, Modi said young voters, especially Gen Z, had shown growing faith in the party's development model. He stressed that eastern India would play a critical role in achieving the goal of a "Viksit Bharat" by 2047 and pointed to recent civic poll successes, including the BJP's first mayoral victory in Kerala's capital.