GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 1st Oct: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday warned that India’s unity in diversity is under “threat from infiltrators causing a demographic shift,” stressing that such a trend poses a “risk to social harmony and internal security.”
Speaking at the centenary celebrations of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the BJP’s ideological mentor, the Prime Minister said, “If this strength is broken, India will weaken.” He recalled his Independence Day address, where he announced the ‘Demographic Mission’, aimed at protecting Indian citizens against infiltrators who, he alleged, were “snatching the livelihood of youth and targeting our sisters and daughters.”
The remarks echo the Prime Minister’s Independence Day speech, which had been widely seen as a veiled reference to the Muslim community, and sharpened the BJP’s attacks on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee ahead of a key state election next year.
Mr. Modi had previously accused the Trinamool Congress government of encouraging infiltration from neighbouring Bangladesh in exchange for votes. In response, the Trinamool rejected the allegations, calling them an “insult to Bengalis” and accusing the BJP of “systematically promoting xenophobia.” Banerjee has also maintained that border security is a central subject and not the responsibility of the state.
The debate comes at a politically sensitive moment, with the Election Commission set to conduct a special intensive revision of voter rolls in Bengal — a process already mired in controversy in Bihar after the EC flagged cases of Nepali, Myanmarese, and Bangladeshi nationals illegally registered as voters.
Bengal, where Banerjee will bid for a fourth consecutive term, remains a high-stakes battlefield, with the Congress largely weakened and the BJP positioning itself as the primary challenger to the Trinamool.
Meanwhile, at today’s RSS centenary event, the Prime Minister also underscored the organisation’s legacy. He noted that the RSS was founded a century ago on Vijayadashami, symbolising the triumph of good over evil. Modi paid tribute to founder K.B. Hedgewar, praising his vision and commitment to national service.
