'Some' parties use infiltrators in voters' list; why none in Gujarat or Rajasthan?: Amit Shah

"Centre alone cannot stop infiltration. State governments protect such infiltrators as some parties see a vote bank in them," Amit Shah said.

New Delhi: Backing the SIR exercise, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said the inclusion of infiltrators in the voters' list pollutes the spirit of the Constitution and asserted that voting rights should only be available to the citizens of the country.

Delivering a lecture in the memory of former editor-in-chief of Dainik Jagran, Narendra Mohan, on the topic of 'infiltration (ghuspaith), demographic change and democracy', the home minister said the Centre will follow the policy of "detect, delete and deport" while dealing with infiltrators.

Shah said infiltration, as well as the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls by the Election Commission, should not be viewed from a political angle, emphasising that it is a national issue.

The opposition says it is the responsibility of the Centre to stop infiltration as the Border Security Force (BSF) is under its control, but there are certain areas on the border which cannot be fenced due to topography, he said.

"Centre alone cannot stop infiltration. State governments protect such infiltrators as some parties see a vote bank in them," he said.

The minister asked if a person illegally enters the country and the district administration fails to identify them, then how can infiltration be stopped? He said that when a person does not understand the difference between a refugee and an infiltrator, they are deceiving their own soul.

Shah said in Assam, the decadal growth rate of the Muslim population in the 2011 census was 29.6 per cent.

"This is not possible without infiltration. In many districts of West Bengal, this growth rate is 40 per cent, and in several border areas, it has reached up to 70 per cent. This is clear evidence that infiltration has occurred in the past," Shah said.

The minister said some parties have started seeing a vote bank in infiltration, so they have given shelter to the infiltrators.

"Our Gujarat also has a border; Rajasthan has one too, but infiltration does not happen there," he said.

Shah said there has been a very significant decline in the population of tribal communities in Jharkhand, and the reason is infiltration from Bangladesh.

He also claimed that the Congress has gone into a "denial mode" on the issue of the SIR, Shah said, adding that the exercise took place during the party's government as well.

"The opposition is opposabilities exercise because their vote banks are getting cut...It is EC's constitutional responsibility to clean the voters' list. You can go to court if you have any issues," he said.

He said that a time will come when the opposition will also not be spared.

Free and fair elections cannot take place unless the voter list is according to the voters' definition, which is being an Indian citizen and attaining the eligible age, he said.

Underlining the difference between an infiltrator and a refugee, Shah said the latter comes to India to save his/her religion, while an infiltrator crosses over the border illegally, not because of religious persecution but because of economic and other reasons.

"Who are infiltrators? Those who have not faced religious persecution and want to come to India illegally for economic or other reasons are infiltrators. If anyone in the world who wants to come here is allowed to do so, our country will become a dharamshala," he said.

He also presented the 'Jagran Sahitya Srijan Samman' in memory of the former editor-in-chief of Dainik Jagran. This award was given to an original work in one of the various genres of Hindi literature.