Araria (PTI): Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday exuded confidence that the BJP will win the upcoming assembly polls in West Bengal, and “drive out every single infiltrator” from the state after coming to power.

Shah made the remark while addressing a function of the Sashastra Seema Bal in Araria district of Bihar, which falls in the Seemanchal region bordering West Bengal.

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“Elections are around the corner in West Bengal. I am confident that the BJP is going to win. Upon formation of the new government, we shall drive out every single infiltrator,” he asserted.

“The process of flushing out infiltrators will begin in Bihar, especially in the Seemanchal region. We had won the assembly polls here last year on this very issue. And, we got the mandate even though opponents were criticising our agenda,” the home minister said.

Shah said infiltration is a threat to national security, and infiltrators also threaten the demographic balance of an area, feed on ration, and avail other benefits meant for common people.

“Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Assam are the most vulnerable to such demographic disturbance. The Narendra Modi government is committed to maintain demographic balance,” Shah said.

He began his speech by paying rich tributes to legendary freedom fighter and Hindutva icon Vinayak Damodar Savarkar on his death anniversary.

“The Revolt of 1857 came to be seen as India’s First War of Independence only after Savarkar... wrote a book asserting the same,” Shah added.

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Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.

In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.

Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.

Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.

According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.

He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.

He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.

Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.

He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.

Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.

He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.