Modi Criticises TMC Government Over Infiltration Issues, Assures Refugees of Support

 Ruling party challenges PM to publish white paper on funds allocation for state

PTI, MALDA/KOLKATA, JAN 17, 2026: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday mounted a sharp attack on the TMC government in West Bengal, alleging that large-scale infiltration altered the state's demography, triggered riots in districts like Malda and Murshidabad, and thrived due to the ruling party's “patronage and syndicate raj”.

The Prime Minister also sought to reassure refugees such as the Matuas, who had migrated to India after facing religious persecution, amid the ongoing controversy over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.

Addressing a rally here, Modi said infiltration posed one of the biggest challenges before Bengal, asserting that even prosperous countries across the world were taking firm steps to identify and deport illegal migrants.

“Infiltration is a very big challenge before Bengal. There are developed and prosperous countries in the world which have no shortage of money, yet they are removing infiltrators. It is equally necessary to remove infiltrators from West Bengal,” he said.

Linking recent incidents of violence to the issue, the Prime Minister claimed riots had erupted in several parts of the state, including Malda and Murshidabad, due to infiltration.

The Prime Minister alleged that the TMC’s “syndicate” system was actively working to ensure infiltrators were settled in Bengal, leading to demographic changes in many areas.

Modi also sought to reassure the politically significant Matua community, who had migrated to India from neighbouring Bangladesh after facing religious persecution. “I want to assure refugees like the Matuas who took shelter in India due to religious persecution: you need not worry,” he said.

Training his guns on the ruling party, Modi said the “hooliganism and politics of threats” practised by the TMC would soon come to an end. He claimed Bengal was surrounded by BJP-ruled states that had ensured “good governance”, and asserted that it was now Bengal’s turn.

In a sharp retort to the Prime Minister’s allegations that the TMC in West Bengal was swindling Central funds meant for the poor and backward communities, the state’s ruling party challenged the Centre to release a white paper on fund allocation to the state ever since the BJP’s defeat in the 2021 Assembly elections.

The Prime Minister, in a rally at the north Bengal town of Malda on Saturday, called the Mamata Banerjee government “cruel and heartless” for “looting” public money and stopping central benefits from reaching the people.

“Political Tourist @narendramodi claims he wants every poor household in Bengal to have a permanent home. Really? Then why has the Centre spitefully withheld Rs 24,275 crore of Bengal’s Awas Yojana funds?” questioned the TMC on its official X handle.

The state’s ruling party asked why the Centre has so far ignored its challenge to release a white paper on fund allocation for Bengal.

“Why has the Modi government refused our open challenge to release a white paper on fund allocation to Bengal ever since their humiliating defeat in the 2021 Assembly elections,” the party wrote on X.

The party claimed that in the wake of the Centre’s “funds blockage for rural housing” in the state, the Mamata Banerjee government shelled out over Rs 30,000 crore from its own treasury to continue with the scheme.