Modi Government’s Immigration Bill Sparks Firestorm in Parliament: Opposition’s Furious Stand and Amit Shah’s Bold Counter

By Poonam Sharma Guwahati – Several decisions of the Modi government create chaos in the country, and opposition parties keep making a ruckus. Once again, this has happened. A bill has been passed in the Lok Sabha, which has made some opposition parties furious and restless. But their agitation was silenced in the Lok Sabha itself. One by one, when their misdeeds were pointed out, especially the leaders of TMC were forced to flee from Parliament. The bill passed in the Lok Sabha and the unease of the opposition raised many questions. Who is causing the unrest over the Immigration Bill in the Lok Sabha? Who is stopping the Bangladesh card? Amit Shah raised these questions in Parliament, which made the political temperature soar and increased the opposition parties’ restlessness.The second phase of the Parliament’s Budget session is underway, and in the meantime, the Immigration Bill has been passed in the Lok Sabha to stop infiltration and illegal immigration.

The minister said that with many developments, India is emerging as a prominent place in the world, and India is set to become a manufacturing hub. However, people may be coming here from abroad. “Immigration is not an isolated issue, it is directly or indirectly connected with many other issues. Knowing who enters the country, when they come, and how long they stay is necessary for the country’s security. This is not a new idea. Over the years, we have gathered data from various laws and tried to bring them together in one place. After the passage of this bill, the entire immigration process will be updated and streamlined. Now, India will maintain records of all foreign nationals entering the country,” the minister said. He assured the house that the development of the country will also be ensured through this law. He also welcomed those who come to the country for business, education, and research but emphasized the need for strict monitoring of those who pose a threat to security. The bill, he argued, is meant to secure the nation and prevent any threat to the country’s integrity.

Why is the Immigration Bill facing opposition? Opposition parties have voiced their concerns, alleging that the current government does not tolerate dissenting voices and is bringing this bill to suppress such voices. Highlighting several shortcomings, the opposition demanded that the bill be referred to a parliamentary committee. While presenting the bill, Minister of State Nityanand Rai addressed these concerns by asserting that the central government has every authority to bring a law on this issue. He further stated that the bill’s objective is to enhance national security, regulate immigration procedures, and monitor violations of stay conditions by foreign nationals.

The bill specifies that any foreign national found violating visa conditions or illegally entering restricted areas will face a penalty of up to ₹3,00,000 and up to 3 years of imprisonment. The law also imposes fines of up to ₹5,00,000 on travel agents facilitating illegal entry.

Regarding the Bangladesh border, after the coup in Bangladesh, many people from there are attempting to enter India, and the government is working to fence the border. However, the work is delayed in certain areas, and questions were raised in Parliament about this. TMC MPs raised these questions, and in response, Home Minister Amit Shah explained the situation. He clarified that work on fencing the Bangladesh border was underway, with 1653 km of fencing already completed. However, there is resistance from the West Bengal government led by Mamata Banerjee, which is not providing land for the fencing in certain areas. Shah suggested that the reason for this was the Bengal government’s alleged support for illegal infiltration.

In his response, Amit Shah said, “I am ready to explain everything, but the TMC members left the house without giving me a chance. Work is progressing on most parts of the border. The real issue lies in the 450 km stretch, where the West Bengal government has not given land. The reason is clear: Mamata Banerjee is supporting infiltration. If the state government provides the land, we will complete the fencing and resolve this issue.”

Regarding the infiltration of Bangladeshis, Amit Shah raised the issue of illegal immigrants from Bangladesh receiving Indian citizenship and Aadhaar cards. “These infiltrators are able to get voter IDs and Aadhaar cards in Bengal, allowing them to vote and secure other benefits. Mamata Banerjee has been responsible for facilitating these illegal immigrants,” said Amit Shah.

BJP leader Soumitra  also stated that the West Bengal government is not providing the land for fencing, which is why the work is delayed. He accused TMC members of supporting illegal immigration. Raghunath Sah said that Mamata Banerjee does not want to lose the Muslim vote bank, which supports her in elections. In Delhi, six Bangladeshi infiltrators were arrested by the police for attempting to conceal their identities. They had undergone surgery to change their appearances and had been living under the guise of transgender women to avoid detection. Police officials stated that the infiltrators were arrested after a tip-off and were found with mobile phones that had banned applications used to contact their families in Bangladesh. They were handed over to the Foreign Regional Registration Office (FRRO) for further action. The arrest of these illegal immigrants has raised alarms across the country regarding security and infiltration.In such cases it is important to have a bill that ensures national security from the illegal infiltration.