Press Information Bureau

Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Shri Amit Shah, delivered the 'Narendra Mohan Memorial Lecture' on the topic 'Infiltration, Demographic Change, and Democracy' in New Delhi today and graced the Jagran Sahitya Srijan Award Ceremony as the chief guest. Many distinguished personalities were present on this occasion.

In his address, Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah said that infiltration, demographic change, and democracy are extremely important issues. He emphasized that until every Indian, especially the youth of the country, understands these issues and becomes aware of the problems arising from them, we cannot ensure the security of our country, culture, languages, and independence. He added that these three issues are deeply interconnected.

Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah said that censuses were conducted in India in 1951, 1971, 1991, and 2011, with a tradition of inquiring about religion from the very beginning. He noted that when this decision was made in 1951, his party had not even been formed. He said that if the country had not been partitioned, there might not have been a need to conduct a census based on religion. However, since the partition occurred on religious grounds, the leaders of the then-ruling party deemed it appropriate to include religion in the 1951 census. Shri Shah highlighted that in the 1951 census, the Hindu population was 84 percent, while the Muslim population was 9.8 percent. By 1971, the Hindu population decreased to 82 percent, and the Muslim population increased to 11 percent. In 1991, the Hindu population was 81 percent, and the Muslim population rose to 12.2 percent. By 2011, the Hindu population had further declined to 79 percent, while the Muslim population reached 14.2 percent. Thus, a significant decline in the Hindu population has been observed.

Shri Amit Shah said that the Muslim population has increased at a rate of 24.6 percent, while the Hindu population has decreased by 4.5 percent. He clarified that this decline is not due to the fertility rate but rather due to infiltration. When India was partitioned, Pakistan was formed on both sides based on religion, which later split into Bangladesh and Pakistan. He noted that infiltration from both sides has led to such a significant change in the population. Shri Shah said that the disparity in population growth across all religions observed in the censuses from 1951 to 2011 is primarily due to infiltration.

Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah said that we must also pay attention to the situation in our neighboring countries, Pakistan and Bangladesh. He said that in 1951, the Hindu population in Pakistan was 13 percent, while other minorities accounted for 1.2 percent. Now, the Hindu population in Pakistan has dwindled to just 1.73 percent. He further said that in Bangladesh, the Hindu population was 22 percent in 1951, which has now decreased to 7.9 percent. Shri Shah added that in Afghanistan, there were 2.2 lakh Hindus and Sikhs at that time, which has now reduced to just 150. The Home Minister clarified that the decline in the Hindu population in these countries was not due to conversion; many of them have sought refuge in India. On the other hand, the increase in the Muslim population in India is not due to the fertility rate but rather due to the large-scale infiltration of Muslim individuals into the country.

Shri Amit Shah said that when India was partitioned, it was agreed that both countries would ensure freedom to practice all religions. He said that this freedom was upheld in India, with Articles 19 and 20 of the Constitution providing protection to all. However, Pakistan and Bangladesh declared themselves Islamic nations and adopted Islam as their state religion. He highlighted that numerous instances of atrocities and persecution occurred there, forcing Hindus to flee and seek refuge in India. He further said that immediately after independence, all Indian leaders had promised that due to the ongoing chaos and large-scale riots, people should not come immediately. However, whenever they chose to come later, India would accept them. Shri Shah mentioned that this promise was part of the Nehru-Liaquat Pact, signed by the Prime Minister of India. When these people arrived in India, they were accepted as refugees but were not granted citizenship. Shri Shah added that even after four generations, they had not received citizenship. The Home Minister stated that when his party secured a full majority, the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) was enacted, and they were granted citizenship.

Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah stated that CAA is not about taking away anyone's citizenship but is a program designed to grant citizenship. He clarified that there is no provision in the Act to deprive Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, or any other community of their citizenship. He emphasized that its sole purpose is to provide citizenship to refugees. Shri Shah said that the historical mistakes made from 1951 to 2014 were addressed by the government under Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. He mentioned that those who were living in India as refugees, whether legally or illegally, were provided with long-term visas. They were issued a certificate, and subsequently, a law was enacted to grant them citizenship.

Shri Amit Shah stated that the mistakes made by Indians from 1951 to 2019 were, in a way, atoned for by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. Shri Shah highlighted that for several generations, refugees could not buy property in their names, were denied government jobs, could not access government rations, and were not treated in government hospitals. The Home Minister questioned, what was the fault of these 2.5 to 3 crore people? They were not consulted before the partition. The decision to partition the country on religious grounds was made by the then-ruling party, not the Indian Parliament, yet this decision caused people to suffer for four generations. He added that when CAA was introduced, attempts were made to defame it. Despite significant opposition, the CAA exists today, and all refugees have the right to citizenship in this country.

Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah said that refugees and infiltrators should not be considered in the same category. A person who comes to India seeking refuge to protect their religion, which is their right under our Constitution, is called a refugee. He clarified that those who have not faced religious persecution and seek to enter the country illegally for economic or other reasons are infiltrators. Shri Shah said that not only Hindus but also Buddhists, Sikhs, and Christians have come to India to protect their faith. Therefore, provisions have been made in CAA to grant citizenship to all such individuals. The Home Minister emphasized that if every person in the world were allowed to come here, the country would turn into a dharmshala, and it would not function smoothly. He stated that not everyone can be given the freedom to enter India, but in the context of the partition, those who faced injustice in Pakistan and Bangladesh are welcome here. Shri Shah further said that the right of Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, and Christians from Pakistan and Bangladesh to this country’s soil is equal to his own.

Shri Amit Shah stated that India’s Constitution is very clear that every individual in this country has the right to worship their God according to their religion, and no one should interfere in this. He said that those who choose to live in this country, whether Muslim or of any other faith, face no questions regarding their citizenship and experience no trouble. However, if individuals enter through infiltration or use various illegal means to gain entry, they will certainly be labeled as infiltrators. Shri Shah said that if a person from any religion in Pakistan or Bangladesh applies through legal means with a passport and visa, the government will verify their credentials and grant them citizenship. However, if individuals infiltrate illegally, India’s borders cannot remain porous.

Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah said that, according to the 2011 Census, the decadal growth rate of the Muslim population in Assam was 29.6 percent, which would not have been possible without infiltration. He noted that in several districts of West Bengal, this growth rate exceeded 40 percent. In border districts, the growth rate reached as high as 70 percent. The Home Minister also stated that the significant decline in the tribal population in Jharkhand is due to infiltration. Shri Shah emphasized that a complex issue like infiltration cannot be tackled by the central government alone. He said that while it is the responsibility of the central government, which has taken steps such as erecting border fences, in geographical areas where fencing is not feasible, infiltration is facilitated by local state governments.

Shri Amit Shah, referring to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), stated that it is not a political issue but a national one. He questioned how infiltration can be stopped if a person enters the country illegally and the district administration fails to identify them. He pointed out that Gujarat and Rajasthan also have borders, yet why does infiltration not occur there? He emphasized that those who fail to understand the difference between a refugee and an infiltrator are deceiving their own conscience. Some political parties see not a threat to the country in infiltrators but rather a vote bank. Shri Shah clarified that SIR is not a new initiative; it has been ongoing since 1951. Conducting SIR is the responsibility of the Election Commission. He noted that the Constitution entrusts the Election Commission with the responsibility of conducting free and fair elections, which is only possible when the voter list is prepared in accordance with the definition of a voter. Shri Shah stated that when infiltrators are included in our voter list, they become participants in the country’s political decision-making process. He added that when the basis of voting is not the nation’s interest, democracy can never succeed.

Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah said that our country was not formed based on a geo-political disposition but is a geo-cultural nation. To understand its soul, we must work beyond the confines of state boundaries. Shri Shah said that partitioning the country on the basis of religion was a grave mistake by the then-ruling party. He added that by severing the two arms of Mother India, the British conspiracy was made successful. Religion and nationality should have been kept separate, and the failure to do so has led to all these disputes.

Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah further stated that since the 1950s, his party has adopted the three principles of Detect, Delete, and Deport. He said the government will identify infiltrators, make every effort to ensure their names are removed from the voter list, and subsequently work to deport them to their countries. Shri Shah emphasized that the right to vote should only be granted to citizens of this country.

Shri Amit Shah said that a large number of infiltrators cannot ensure the security of any country. They are affecting both the politics and law-and-order situation in border areas. He added that in urban areas, infiltrators are depriving India’s poor laborers of their rights. Shri Shah said that on August 15, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi announced from the ramparts of the Red Fort the formation of a high-powered mission to study demographic changes. He explained that this Demographic Changes Mission will scientifically evaluate the demographic shifts caused by infiltrators. Moreover, it will study the impact on religious and social life, analyze the potential causes of demographic changes, examine patterns of abnormal settlement and their long-term effects on society, and assess the burden on border management, ultimately submitting a report to the Government of India.

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