India faces ‘one more threat — that of infiltrators’: In Bihar, PM Modi vows action against outsiders

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday vowed to expel illegal immigrants from the country, calling them a growing threat to India’s security and stability.

Addressing a public rally in Bihar’s Gaya, PM Modi accused opposition parties, particularly the Congress and Lalu Prasad Yadav’s Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), of appeasing infiltrators for political gain.

#WATCH | PM Narendra Modi says, “… The increasing population of illegal immigrants in the country is a matter of concern. In the bordering areas of Bihar, demography is rapidly changing. The NDA government has decided not to let illegal immigrants decide the future of our… pic.twitter.com/XgHGCQUKm9

— ANI (@ANI) August 22, 2025

“There is one more threat – that of infiltrators (ghuspaithiye) that our nation faces, which I also spoke about in my Independence Day speech. They cannot be allowed to partake of resources of our country. I have, therefore, called for a demography mission. But the Congress and the RJD want to protect these infiltrators for the sake of their politics of vote bank,” PTI quoted PM Modi as saying.

The reference was to the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR), which includes among its stated objectives the removal of “illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, Nepal, and Myanmar” from the electoral rolls.

The EC, which has initiated the exercise in Bihar ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections, has clarified that the SIR will eventually be conducted nationwide.

However, the opposition INDIA bloc has alleged that the timing and focus of the revision in Bihar are politically motivated, accusing the BJP-led NDA of using the process to selectively delete voters and influence the poll outcome.

In response, key INDIA bloc leaders — including Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav, the alliance’s main face in Bihar — have launched a statewide ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ to protest what they call an attack on democratic rights.

In his Independence Day address, PM Modi had emphasised the need to protect India’s demographic integrity, warning of the risks posed by illegal immigration.

“The imminent dangers of demographic imbalance due to infiltration and illegal migration in border areas are high, thereby affecting citizens’ livelihoods,” he had said.

PM Modi also defended the Centre’s new bills for the removal of the prime minister, chief ministers and ministers arrested on serious criminal charges for 30 days.

“If a government employee is imprisoned for 50 hours, then he loses his job automatically, be it a driver, a clerk or a peon. But a CM, a Minister, or even a PM can enjoy staying in the government even from jail… Some time ago, we saw how files were being signed from jail and how government orders were given from jail. If leaders have such an attitude, how can we fight corruption… The NDA government has brought a law against corruption, and the Prime Minister also comes under its purview,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister also charged the Congress with having been insensitive towards Bihar, alleging “one of its chief ministers had famously told a public rally that he would not allow immigrants from the state to set foot on the soil of his state”.

“And the RJD, their alliance partner, seemed to be in deep slumber, unable to protest against such an insult,” said PM, of the party which is the BJP’s principal rival in Bihar.

With inputs from agencies