SILCHAR: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday attacked the BJP, especially Union Home Minister Amit Shah, for raking up the infiltration issue but not deporting the illegal entrants in large numbers despite being in the government for more than 10 years.
Addressing an election rally at Borkhola in Cachar district, he also alleged that the BJP has misused the delimitation exercise in Assam in its bid to win elections.
"When Amit Shah comes here, he only talks about Bangladeshi infiltrators. But the BJP doesn't drive these infiltrators out; they nurture them. It only plays politics in their name," he said.
For 10 years, the BJP has been in power at the Centre and in Assam, but it could not remove the infiltrators, the Congress leader said.
He claimed that during the Congress-led UPA government, 88,792 illegal migrants were deported from the country between 2005 and 2013.
"But under Narendra Modi's rule, only 2,566 people were removed between 2014 and 2019. The BJP, Narendra Modi and Amit Shah just make electoral promises; they do nothing in reality," the Congress chief alleged.
Kharge also slammed the BJP for allegedly misusing the delimitation exercise in Assam to win the elections.
During the delimitation exercise, Muslims were removed from areas where they had been in the majority, while other people were added, he alleged.
"In areas where there were more Dalits and Adivasis, people from other classes were included," he claimed.
The Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha also alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has handed over thousands of acres of land in Assam to a corporate house in the name of greenfield projects.
"The BJP government is selling off your lands, forests, water, mines and energy. Therefore, remember that to save the country, the BJP must be removed," he added.