Union Home Minister Amit Shah has declared that there has been no infiltration into Assam over the last 10 years under BJP governance and has promised an expulsion drive to remove all infiltrators in the next five years. Speaking at a public gathering in Dibrugarh, Assam on January 30, 2026, Shah asserted the BJP's commitment to securing Assam from illegal entry and urged voters to support the party for continued safety and development.
Shah alleged that unchecked infiltration has altered Assam's demographic balance and poses a serious threat to the state's culture, land, and identity. He stated that only the BJP could ensure the protection of Assam's interests. He also claimed that illegal immigrants had encroached upon culturally significant areas linked to Srimanta Sankardeva and forest land in Kaziranga. Shah accused previous governments of allowing infiltration for vote-bank politics.
During his visit, Shah laid the foundation stone for the Assam Legislative Assembly's second complex in Dibrugarh and inaugurated multiple development projects worth around Rs 1,700 crore, including infrastructure related to wildlife health and research.
Earlier, on December 29, 2025, Shah vowed to extend Assam's anti-encroachment drive nationwide, declaring that infiltrators would be driven out across the country. Speaking at the inauguration of the redeveloped Batadrava Than, the birthplace of Vaishnavite saint Srimanta Shankardev, Shah praised Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for freeing over one lakh bighas of land from alleged Bangladeshi encroachers. He also credited Bharat Ratna Gopinath Bordoloi for ensuring Assam's place in India.
Shah claimed that during the Congress's 20-year rule, seven districts of Assam became dominated by 64 lakh infiltrators. These districts include Dhubri, Barpeta, Darrang, Morigaon, Bongaigaon, Nagaon, and Goalpara. He urged voters to re-elect the BJP in the upcoming Assembly elections to halt infiltration.
In December 2025, Shah targeted the Congress, stating that the sacred site of Mahapurush Srimanta Shankardeva's birthplace, Batadrava Than, had been cleared of Bangladeshi infiltrators after years of occupation. He congratulated Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for removing the infiltrators from this sacred site. The Congress, however, questioned the BJP's unmet 2014 deportation promise.
The BJP-led state government has reportedly freed more than 1.29 lakh bighas of land from infiltrators across the state, including areas in Kaziranga National Park.
