D Fadnavis Says Bengal Put National Security At Risk, Trinamool Hits Back

A comment by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on illegal infiltration from Bangladesh and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's role has left Trinamool seething. In an exclusive interview at the "Unstoppable Maharashtra" conclave organised by NDTV Marathi Manch, Fadnavis also took a dig at Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, saying,  "I respect Mamata Didi but putting national security at risk for vote bank politics is not right". 

Fadnavis also brushed aside Mamata Banerjee's allegation that Bengali-speaking people were being targeted in BJP-ruled states. "It is obvious that people from Bangladesh will speak Bengali. But there are distinct differences in the language of those who are from Bangladesh and those who are from India," he said.

Ninety per cent of the people who are caught on suspicion of being illegal infiltrators from Bangladesh "admit their position and end up telling us how they came, what route they took to come here," Fadnavis said. "If someone wants to come to India from Bangladesh, they have to follow proper procedures and come with proper visas," he added.

The police, he said, have been taking action to identify and deport illegal infiltrators from Bangladesh.

The Trinamool Congress reacted sharply to the comment.
"Mamata Banerjee is an elected Chief Minister. She has been elected thrice. Her view has always been that nation comes first and national security comes first," said senior Trinamool leader and West Bengal Minister Shashi Panja.

So this aspect is of utmost importance to the party and the state government, she said. 

"You can recall that even when Operation Sindoor happened, and to explain this perspective, MP and AITC general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, was in charge of a delegation. The entire perspective of the operation was explained to people of various countries. So, this was cutting across all political differences that we may have with the ruling party at the Centre," she added.

"We would ask the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Devendra Fadnavis, to question the Union Home Minister because there have been failures along the border. If there is infiltration, then it is, of course, the Border Security Force which should have looked into it," Shashi Panja added.

The issue of illegal infiltration from Bangladesh has led to a political row between the BJP and the Trinamool Congress. It has only escalated as the Special Intensive Revision of voter lists, or SIR, was rolled out in the state, where assembly elections are due next year.

While the BJP has accused the Trinamool of sheltering infiltrators and using them as vote banks, the Trinamool has accused the BJP of harassing Bengali-speaking migrant workers in the states it rules. 
With state elections due in West Bengal in the first half of 2026, the rhetoric is only going to get louder.