Remove infiltrators to restore Bengal’s pride, says Samrat

Patna: Bihar deputy chief minister Samrat Choudhary on Tuesday said all infiltrators must be removed.Speaking at Howrah while campaigning for the first phase of assembly elections in West Bengal, he said, “So far, we have struck off the names of 22 lakh people and stopped their ration as well in Bihar. We will cancel their driving licenses and other cards as well.” Choudhary said the BJP aims to make West Bengal “Sonar Bengal” (golden Bengal) once again. He emphasised that strengthening democracy in the state, expelling infiltrators, and restoring Bengali identity and pride are among the BJP’s top priorities.Addressing a public rally on MG Road, he said just as West Bengal made one of the greatest contributions to the freedom struggle, Bengali society is now ready to oust the Mamata govt, which he alleged is pro-infiltrator, anti-Hindu, and chaotic.Choudhary asserted that if infiltration is to be eradicated from West Bengal, good governance established, and incidents like those in Sandeshkhali prevented, the BJP must be voted to power.Dismissing Mamata’s “insider vs outsider” narrative as a political ploy, he said if the BJP forms the govt, the chief minister of Bengal will not be an “outsider”, but a son or daughter of West Bengal itself.He alleged that a massive scam robbed the youth of their rightful opportunities in Bengal and claimed that 8,000 schools attended by Bengali children were shut down, whereas madrassas were left untouched.He pledged that just as 50 lakh people in Bihar were provided with govt jobs and employment opportunities over the last five years, employment generation would also be undertaken on a large scale in West Bengal.“Just as infiltrators were removed from the voter lists in Bihar, a similar drive will be undertaken to expel Bangladeshis from West Bengal,” said one of the BJP’s star campaigners in the state.He also noted that there was a time when people from across the country flocked to Kolkata in search of employment, but today the city is witnessing an exodus.Mumbai, Delhi, and Chennai have progressed rapidly, while Kolkata has lagged behind, he said.