Guwahati, Feb 21 (PTI) Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday asserted that Naxalism would be eliminated from the country by the March 31 deadline set by the government, while illegal immigrants would be removed not only from the electoral rolls but also from the nation in the next five years.
On the second of his two-day visit to Assam, Shah attended the 87th CRPF Day Parade here and laid the foundation stone for the Rs 270-crore new campus of the state police’s 10th Battalion, which would be constructed on land freed from encroachment by infiltrators.
Addressing the CRPF Day Parade, the first ever in the northeast, Shah said the force played an important role in Jammu and Kashmir, where the number of stone-throwing incidents has dropped to zero, besides handling ethnic violence in Manipur and breaking the backbone of Maoists in only three years.
Naxalism had spread across 12 states and countless districts of the country, and when the Centre resolved to uproot the menace, the CRPF and CoBRA force personnel played the most crucial role in the effort, he said.
“Because of the CRPF personnel, we can confidently say that by March 31, 2026, the country will be completely free from Naxalism,” he asserted.
Shah said in the 86-year history of the force, this was the first time that its Raising-Day celebrations were held in the northeast, which is a matter of pride for everyone and the entire region.
“In 2019, it was decided that the annual parade of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) would be held in different parts of the country. And today, the CRPF parade is being held in one of the most important parts of the country — the northeast,” he said.
In the second event of the day, Shah asserted that if India can be free of Naxals, it can also be free of infiltrators.
”Illegal immigrants would be removed not only from the electoral rolls but also from the country in the next five years”, Shah said.
He was addressing a gathering after laying the foundation stone for a new campus of the Assam Police 10th Battalion, which he said would be constructed on 347 acres of land freed from encroachments by infiltrators in the state’s tribal belt.
Attacking Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Shah said that the Congress leader had once said that infiltrators would be removed, but the grand old party cannot do it as “illegal immigrants are its votebank”.
“It is not enough to just evict infiltrators from encroached lands; they must also be sent out of India,” the BJP leader said.
He said the EC is conducting the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in several states, and it is obvious that the infiltrators will be identified, but “Rahul Gandhi is protesting the exercise, and hurling one bomb after another, but those do not make sounds of even firecrackers”.
Shah said the new campus of the battalion will be developed on land freed from encroachments by infiltrators.
“It is, however, not enough to evict the infiltrators from encroached land as they will go and settle somewhere else… They must be removed from the country,” he said.
The home minister also alleged that the Congress’ policy of protecting infiltrators has threatened Assam’s ‘jati’ (people), ‘mati’ (land) and ‘bheti’ (foundation).
“If the Congress is committed to getting rid of infiltrators, I challenge Rahul Gandhi to mention it in its manifesto,” he said.
The elections to the 126-member assembly of the state are likely to be held in March-April.
He accused the Congress of encouraging infiltration, bringing the “state’s demography to a crisis point”.
“I want to ask: Who is responsible for Dhubri, Barpeta, Darrang, Morigaon, Bongaigaon, Nagaon and Goalpara becoming Muslim-dominated districts? It is the Congress. The BJP will make Assam free from the sin committed by the Congress of encouraging infiltration,” he said.
The Himanta Biswa Sarma government has freed over 1 lakh bighas of land from encroachment by infiltrators, Shah said, adding that the CM has said that another 5 lakh bighas will be cleared over the next five years, if the BJP is voted to power. “I know him (Sarma) well… He keeps his promises,” he said.
The eviction drive was carried out in two phases in September 2024 and April 2025, with the first phase turning violent and resulting in the death of two persons and injuries to 40 others.
Noting that infiltrators pose a threat to national security, Shah said, “I am happy that the threat has been neutralised and a campus for those who will protect the country will come up in an area where the Congress had encouraged illegal immigrants to settle.” On the first day of his visit, the home minister launched the second phase of the Vibrant Village Programme (VVP) for 17 states in the country from Nathanpur village in Assam’s Cachar district.
He had also inspected a stretch of the Indo-Bangladesh border in Nathanpur and addressed a public meeting in the village.
This is Shah’s third visit since December 29 to poll-bound Assam, where the ruling BJP is aiming to retain power for the third consecutive term. PTI
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