Said- India cannot remain safe without securing its borders.
Siliguri. Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said that unless the borders are secured, neither West Bengal nor India can remain safe. Shah said that despite his repeated requests, former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee did not provide the required land for fencing the India-Bangladesh border in the state.
Shah said that no former chief minister of the state ever participated in Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) or Border Security Force (BSF) programs. He congratulated West Bengal Chief Minister Subhendu Adhikari for breaking this tradition.
Speaking at the bhoomi pujan and foundation stone laying ceremony of various projects at the SSB Frontier Headquarters in Siliguri, Shah said, I had requested several times for land to be given by the BSF for fencing the border but (former Chief Minister) Mamata Banerjee turned a deaf ear to it. I had been demanding 1,129 acres of land since 2014 to strengthen border security. We got this land only after the formation of the Shubhendu Adhikari led government in the state.
Shah said the SSB is not a political organization and the former chief ministers' distance from border force functions gave a wrong message. The Home Minister said that he was saddened by the previous governments formed in the country after independence, not giving due respect to the national song 'Vande Mataram'.
He said, this year during the Independence Day celebrations, the full version of 'Vande Mataram' was sung at the Red Fort but the full version of 'Vande Mataram' had never been sung before in India. I am relieved that in the 150th year of its composition by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, the country has finally given due recognition to this song.