BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla told a press conference that the opposition had become a “symbol of hypocrisy”. (X/@Shehzad_Ind)
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday (Oct 29, 2025) accused the opposition, particularly the Congress and the Trinamool Congress, of opposing a special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls to protect their “vote bank”, saying they were engaging in “politics of hypocrisy and appeasement”.
BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla told a press conference that the opposition has become a “symbol of hypocrisy” as it “pledges loyalty to the constitution while promoting vote bank politics”. He alleged that the Congress, which he said was once sympathetic to Pakistan, had now turned into “admirers of Bangladesh”.
“The singing of the Bangladeshi national anthem from the Congress stage in Assam (Sribhumi) is the latest proof of this,” Mr Poonawalla said, adding that the Congress and its leaders had “supported Bangladeshi infiltrators for a long time”, thereby “jeopardizing the unity and security of the nation”.
The BJP leader claimed that the “recent provocative attempt” to portray India’s northeastern region as belonging to another country “revealed the lingering mindset aimed at dividing India”.
He said both the Congress and the Trinamool Congress were against the SIR exercise, a constitutional exercise conducted by the Election Commission, “exclusively to protect their vote bank”.
In West Bengal, Trinamool leaders openly threatened the Election Commission and BJP workers, he alleged.
Mr Poonawalla accused some Trinamool leaders of “talking about anti-SIR riots”, while also targeting Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on the issue. “She has direct responsibility for law and order in Bengal as the home minister of the state,” he added.
“One party, the Congress, is openly supporting Bangladeshi infiltrators, while the other, the Trinamool, is conspiring and threatening to keep outsiders on the voter list by fomenting riots,” a BJP leader said.
The BJP leader said the Congress “has consistently supported Bangladeshi infiltrators over the years, with the UPA era witnessing the systematic settlement of millions of illegal immigrants”. “From Sam Pitroda to Syed Hameed and Ghulam Mir, Congress leaders have made statements in support of the infiltrators,” he said.
He said infiltration had “largely stopped”, except in parts of Bengal, where most of the Indo-Bangladesh border is now fenced. “It was the Congress government that provided these infiltrators with valid IDs and residence papers… now that the NDA government is following the 3D policy – detect, wipe out and deport illegal infiltrators – Congress is responding with its own 3D policy – divide, distort and defend the illegal,” he said.
“Whether it is Trinamool Congress, Congress or DMK, they are all involved in the politics of competitive appeasement,” Mr. Poonawalla said.
Published – 29 October 2025 21:00 IST
