Kishanganj: Union Home Minister Amit Shah alleged that the increase in Muslim population in Bihar’s border districts is the result of large-scale infiltration from Bangladesh. Addressing a public rally in Kishanganj, he referred to census data that showed the Muslim population in the district rising from 64.81 percent in 2011 to 68.08 percent in 2021.
Shah accused opposition parties of encouraging infiltration for electoral gains. He said that vote-bank politics and appeasement policies of the Congress and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) had compromised national security. He added that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was the only party committed to protecting India’s borders.
Kishanganj, located in Bihar’s Seemanchal region, shares boundaries with West Bengal and Bangladesh. The area has a high concentration of Muslims and has often been at the center of political debates on border management and demographic change.
Opposition leaders dismissed Shah’s claims as divisive and politically charged. They argued that linking population growth to infiltration without concrete evidence fuels communal tension.
The issue of demographic change in border regions has remained sensitive in Indian politics. Shah’s remarks come ahead of the upcoming state elections, signaling that border security and religious demographics will continue to feature prominently in campaign narratives.
