‘Detect, delete and deport’ is our policy: HM Shah on election reforms in Lok Sabha

New Delhi: Outlining the government’s approach, Home Minister Amit Shah reiterated the principle of “detect, delete, and deport,” making it clear that illegal immigrants would not be normalised or recognised in voter lists.

He warned that demographic manipulation could not be allowed to divide the nation again. “This country was divided once, and we do not want the new generation to see such division again,” he said. He was replying in the Lok Sabha on election reforms.

The Lok Sabha witnessed heated scenes on Wednesday as Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched a scathing attack on the Opposition during the ongoing debate on election reforms. HM Shah declared that the central issue was the inclusion of illegal immigrants in electoral rolls, accusing the Opposition of deliberately obstructing Parliament and spreading misinformation as Opposition members walked out.

“The main issue is the listing of illegal immigrants. These people are scared; they have fled. They cannot hear the truth. If they cannot listen, then why did they waste Parliament’s time for so many days?” HM Shah asked, as Opposition members staged a walkout.

He accused them of disrupting both the current and monsoon sessions, saying, “Today, when the Home Minister is explaining in detail, these people fled. They will boycott even two hundred times; this is our policy.”

Referring to border concerns, HM Shah highlighted infiltration along the 2,216 km Bangladesh frontier. He issued a sharp warning to the Trinamool Congress, accusing it of shielding illegal immigrants. “If you protect the illegal immigrants with Rahul Gandhi’s ghuspethiya bachao yatra, you will be wiped out, and the BJP will win again,” he declared.

The Home Minister framed the issue as one of national security and democratic integrity. “This is the question of the country’s future. Will you win elections on the basis of illegal immigrants? Bihar has already given a clear mandate to us, and now Bengal will also do the same,” he said.

His speech, punctuated by sharp exchanges and opposition protests, reflected the deepening divide between the NDA and the INDIA bloc over electoral reforms, with illegal immigration emerging as the most contentious flashpoint.