Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his 79th Independence Day address from the Red Fort, announced a high-powered “Demography Mission” to counter the dangers posed by illegal immigrants, warning against a “well-thought-out conspiracy” to change India’s population profile.
Modi accused infiltrators of taking jobs from Indian youth, targeting women, misleading tribal communities, and grabbing land. “This will not be tolerated,” he said, stressing that demographic shifts in border areas threaten national security and sow seeds of conflict.
The crackdown on illegal immigration—especially on Bangladeshi nationals allegedly posing as Indian citizens—has sparked political tensions. West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress accused the BJP of targeting Bengali-speaking Indians, calling it “xenophobia,” while BJP leaders, including Amit Malviya, demanded Banerjee be held accountable under the National Security Act.
The PM’s warning came amid police verification drives in cities and ongoing political disputes over recent incidents, such as the Delhi Police referring to a document translation as “written in Bangladeshi,” which triggered a war of words between the BJP and TMC.
