News Brief
West Bengal BJP Intensifies CAA Outreach Among Bangladeshi Hindu Refugees Ahead Of 2026 Assembly Polls
Bangladeshi Hindu refugees
Leaders of the West Bengal unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday (25 October) urged Bangladeshi Hindu refugees who fled religious persecution to apply for Indian citizenship under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) without delay, claiming that their names will be included in the State’s voters’ list, reported The Hindu.
Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Assembly and BJP MLA Suvendu Adhikari urged Bangladeshi Hindu refugees to visit CAA camps and apply for citizenship.
He said the BJP and Rashtravadi Vichar Parivar are providing assistance through multiple camps across every mandal.
He emphasised that Bangladeshi Hindus who entered West Bengal due to religious persecution “are not infiltrators, they are refugees.”
He added, “Till now, roughly 14,000 people have applied to the CAA. None of them have lost their jobs or stopped receiving any welfare benefits from the Centre or State. They haven’t faced any trouble… It is the LoP’s guarantee and request that, apply to CAA as soon as possible, your name will be on the voters’ list.”
The Immigration and Foreigners (Exemption) Order, 2025, also covers individuals who entered because of religious persecution before 31 December 2024.
The BJP intends to hold over 700 CAA camps across West Bengal prior to the Special Intensive Revision of Electoral Rolls and the 2026 Assembly elections, focusing on communities such as the Matuas, a crucial BJP voter base.
During a joint rally in Dakshin Dinajpur’s Gangarampur, Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar said, “If your name or your parents’ names do not feature in the 2002 list, you belong to one of two categories… if you’re Hindu and from Bangladesh, we have made provisions for you to become an Indian citizen under CAA,” and added that the party’s fight for 2026 is of “aar-paar” (two sides of a border).
