New Delhi

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday strongly criticised the BJP for accusing Congress of causing demographic changes in Assam, questioning the ruling party’s own performance on the issue. He pointed out that the Border Security Force is under the control of the Central government, which is led by the BJP.

Raut said it was wrong for the BJP to repeatedly blame Congress when it has been in power at the Centre and in Assam for many years. He said this showed failure on the BJP’s part to address illegal immigration.

“BJP controls the Border Security Force and also governs Assam, yet it keeps blaming Congress. What have they done in the past 10 years? This clearly shows failure,” Raut said.

His remarks came after Union Home Minister Amit Shah accused Congress of changing Assam’s population balance for vote-bank politics ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections.

Addressing a rally in Nalbari, Shah alleged that districts such as Dhubri and nearby areas have seen a rise in illegal immigrants due to earlier Congress policies. He claimed that previous Congress governments allowed infiltration for decades.

Shah also said that the current BJP government has taken strong action to control the situation. He credited Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma with securing borders and reclaiming about 1.25 lakh acres of land from alleged encroachers.

Amit Shah urged voters to re-elect BJP, promising to identify and deport illegal immigrants. Immigration remains a key Assam poll issue, with BJP and Congress set for a direct contest.