Gandhinagar, May 28: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said the newly formed Bharatiya Janata Party government in West Bengal had transferred 600 hectares of land to the Border Security Force within seven days to accelerate fencing work along the India-Bangladesh border, describing the move as part of the Centre’s broader national security strategy.
Addressing a public gathering at Sonipur village in Gujarat’s Gandhinagar district during an inauguration and foundation stone laying ceremony for development projects worth Rs 340 crore, Shah said the BJP government in West Bengal had acted swiftly to facilitate border infrastructure after assuming office.
Shah stated that the BJP had promised during the West Bengal Assembly election campaign that fencing work along the Bangladesh border would be expedited if the party formed the government in the state. He claimed that the transfer of land to the BSF fulfilled that commitment within days of the new administration taking charge.
According to Shah, the West Bengal government under Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari handed over 600 hectares of land to the BSF for fencing-related work, while an additional 121 hectares in the strategically significant Chicken Neck corridor was also transferred to the Central government.
The Union Home Minister linked the development directly to national security and infiltration concerns along the eastern border. He alleged that illegal infiltration had reduced after the change in government in West Bengal and claimed that the situation had improved compared to the previous administration.
Shah criticised the earlier Trinamool Congress-led government while asserting that infiltration across the Bangladesh border had remained a persistent concern during its tenure. He stated that strengthening border fencing remained a priority for the BJP-led Centre and state governments.
The remarks came during Shah’s visit to Gandhinagar, where he attended multiple public programmes related to infrastructure and welfare development. The event included inauguration and foundation stone laying ceremonies for projects linked to drinking water supply, Anganwadi centre modernisation and village infrastructure works in Kalol and Gandhinagar North Assembly constituencies.
During his address, Shah also highlighted the BJP’s expanding political presence across India. Referring to the recent West Bengal Assembly election, he said the BJP had decisively defeated the Trinamool Congress government and claimed that the party now governed nearly 80 per cent of the country’s geographical area.
He further stated that the BJP’s political influence had expanded across the Ganga belt stretching from Uttarakhand to Gangasagar.
According to Shah, development works worth nearly Rs 1,200 crore had either been inaugurated or launched in the Kalol and Gandhinagar North constituencies over the past 10 days. He said the projects were being implemented with support from the Gujarat government, the Central government and Corporate Social Responsibility contributions from private industries.
The Home Minister’s speech focused heavily on border security, governance and development, themes that continue to remain central to the BJP’s national political narrative ahead of upcoming electoral contests.
