Amit Shah to raise Rohingya issue in Bihar’s Seemanchal

The increasing cases of smuggling and infiltration of Rohingya refugees would be two of the issues that Union Home Minister Amit Shah is set to raise in his public meetings during his visit to Bihar’s Seemanchal region from September 23.

Seemanchal is a border region neighbouring Nepal and not far away from the Indo-Bangladesh border. Shah’s visit will be the first by a BJP national leader to visit Bihar after the JD(U)-BJP breakup in early August.

Shah will hold meetings with the party’s core committee members, its MPs, MLAs, MLCs, and block presidents of the Seemanchal region. Seemanchal has four Lok Sabha seats. Before the JD(U)-BJP split, the NDA held three of the four, but now the ‘grand alliance’ holds that many. The Katihar and Purnia seats have JDU MPs, while Kishanganj is with the Congress and Araria with the BJP.

“A review of the political scenario in Bihar after the split will be held during the home minister’s visit to look at the way forward. He will try to understand the issues that led to the split and see if any regions need more work,” former Bihar deputy chief minister Sushil Modi told DH.

Shah’s visit to the region has also led to speculation of polarisation by the BJP. The Seemanchal region has a significant Muslim population, with 60% in Kishanganj and in Katihar Muslims are 40% of the population. A senior leader of the party, refusing to be named, said, “If Hindus in the region decide to stand by the BJP, we will welcome them,” the leader said.