"Infiltrators New Target": Trinamool Hits Back At PM's Independence Day Speech

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's caution against "infiltrators" posing a threat to national security has drawn a backlash from the ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal. A "new enemy" has been flagged after the PM targeted "andolanjeevis" or those who thrive on protests, the Mamata Banerjee-led party has said in sharp criticism of his speech on the occasion of 79th Independence Day.

Rajya Sabha MP Sagarika Ghose also demanded that the Prime Minister address his own record of 11 years, as she accused the government of "under-achieving".

"As usual @narendramodi uses his Independence Day speech to target a new "enemy." After Andolanjeevis etc now "infiltrators" is the new target. Again new "missions" announced while targeting past governments. When will Modi give a 15 August address truthfully addressing his own record of 11 years marked by over - promising and under -achieving," said the Trinamool MP in an online post.

Read: "Illegals Snatching Rights": PM Announces Demographic Mission To Protect Citizens

The Prime Minister had earlier in the day flagged the threats posed by illegal immigrants and alerted the citizens to a conspiracy to change the country's demography. Speaking from the ramparts of the Red Fort, he also announced a demographic mission that he said would protect the citizens from any demographic change.

"I would like to alert the nation about a concern, a challenge. Under a well-thought-out conspiracy, the country's demography is being changed, and seeds of a new crisis are being sown. These infiltrators are snatching the livelihood of the youth of my country. They are targeting our sisters and daughters. They are misleading the adivasis and grabbing their lands. This will not be tolerated," said PM Modi.

India will not surrender to the infiltrators, the Prime Minister asserted in his speech, while flagging the challenges caused due to demographic changes, especially in the border areas. 

"Demographic changes in border areas pose a threat to national security. It sows the seeds of conflict. No country can surrender before infiltrators. Then how can we? Not to allow such activities is our duty to our ancestors who gifted us an Independent India. So I announce from the ramparts of Red Fort that we have decided to start a high-powered demography mission. This mission will tackle the danger that is looming over India," said PM Modi.

Read: 'Bengali or Bangladeshi'? Mamata Banerjee Snaps At BJP In Language War

Illegal immigration has become a rising concern in the country. Authorities are cracking down and verifying the identities of suspicious workers across cities to identify foreign nationals, especially those from Bangladesh, living under the guise of Indian citizens. The Prime Minister's caution not only highlighted this concern but also delivered a message to Ms Banerjee, whose party has been accusing the Centre of targeting Bengali-speaking Indians under the pretext of the anti-Bangladeshi crackdown.

The "national security" warning by the Prime Minister also counters Ms Banerjee's attempt at using the issue to help her regional politics.

The issue had also snowballed into an unlikely language war between Bengali and Bangladeshi, after the Delhi Police referred to a translation as "written in Bangladeshi".

Targeting the BJP over this, Trinamool Congress had accused the central ruling party of "systematically promoting xenophobia" and "deliberately targeting Bengalis". Hitting back, the BJP had called her remarks "inflammatory" and demanded that she be "held accountable...under the National Security Act."