Amit Shah dials down rhetoric on illegal migrants

From calling them termites, demanding they be thrown out of the country, one by one, and taken off the voters’ list to near silence — there has been a sharp dialling down of rhetoric in BJP president Amit Shah’s speeches on the issue of illegal migrants from Bangladesh. The Indian Express analysed text and videos of Shah’s speeches posted on the BJP’s official website since September 8, when the party passed a resolution hailing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal for implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam. And found a gradual but clear toning down of rhetoric: in at least eight public rallies and meetings that he addressed since October 5, Shah did not refer even once to the NRC or illegal migrants.

Sources in the party attribute this to “specific instructions” for the party to moderate its aggressive posturing to protect India’s ties with Bangladesh, where elections are scheduled to be held on December 30, and the Prime Minister’s global image. Click here to read in Bengali

On September 23, PTI quoted Shah as telling party workers in Delhi: “The illegal infiltrators are acting like termites in this country. They are also causing problems in Delhi. Action against them should not worry any patriot.”

The remarks drew severe criticism, with Bangladesh Information Minister Hasanul Haq describing it as an “unwanted” comment that was not “proper”. Significantly, the reference to termites has been omitted in excerpts of Shah’s speech posted on the BJP’s official website.

Shah is also avoiding reference to a related issue, the early finalisation of the Citizenship Amendment Bill that “will let minorities including Hindus, Sikhs and Christians facing religious persecution in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan have citizenship in India”.

Consider Shah’s public remarks on the NRC and illegal migrants that map the shift:

Sept 8: BJP national executive, Delhi: “…Every infiltrator will be identified and will be thrown out of India…We have taken up (the) Citizenship Act.”
Sept 11: In two speeches in Jaipur, Shah reiterated that illegal migrants are a threat to national security and will be taken off NRC.

Sept 15: In Mahbubnagar, Telangana, Shah spoke about denying voting rights to illegal migrants.
Sept 16: In Pali, Rajasthan, Shah reiterated that illegal migrants would be taken off the NRC.
Sept 17, 21, 23, 25, 26, 28 and October 4: On each of these days, Shah referred to illegal migrants, slammed what he called the Congress and Communists’ soft corner for them and vowed to throw them out. It’s at this point that Shah starts dialling down the rhetoric, omitting any reference to NRC and illegal migrants in many speeches.

Between Oct 5 and November 12, Shah addressed as many as 15 rallies in poll-bound Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, and in Kerala.

In eight of these rallies, he didn’t make any reference to either the NRC or illegal migrants.

He referred to them in rallies on October 6 (Jhabua, MP), October 9 (Shivpuri, MP), Oct 12 (Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh), October 13 (Jagdalpur and Raipur, Chhattisgarh); October 14 (Hoshangabad and Bhopal, MP); October 18 (Satna and Rewa, MP) and October 28 (Secunderabad, Telangana).

In a video address on November 12, Shah told party workers in MP: “Illegal migrants had been enjoying the benefits that should have gone to the poor in our country… Infiltrators have come in crores… Congress tried to make it a human rights issue. Once elected back to power in 2019, the BJP government will launch a nationwide exercise to identify and expel infiltrators. For us, its not the vote bank but the country’s security is important.”

Following orders from the Supreme Court, the Assam government published the final draft of the NRC on July 30, including 2.89 crore of the 3.29 crore people who had applied.

On Wednesday, asked about the party’s official stand on NRC and the Citizenship Act, BJP spokesperson G V L Rao said: “Once the process, monitored by the Supreme Court, is completed, it will be clear who is an Indian citizen and who is an illegal migrant. Then, the law will take its own course. What will happen to those who are not citizens is obvious. The BJP, including its president, has repeatedly said that those minorities — Hindus and Sikhs, etc — who face religious persecution in neighbouring countries will be allowed to come to India as refugees and will be given citizenship.”