BJP releases manifesto for polls, says will drive out infiltrators from Bengal

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state unit on Saturday released its manifesto for the West Bengal Assembly polls highlighting that the party would seek to drive out all infiltrators from the state and strive for bringing parity between central and state dearness allowances if voted to power.

Former state president of BJP Rahul Sinha claimed there were nearly 2.5 crore infiltrators in West Bengal.

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“If BJP comes to power, we will indentify them and take action by sending them back to their countries,” Sinha, who is contesting from Jorasanko seat, said while releasing the poll manifesto. Nearly all opinion polls have predicted an extremely poor showing for the BJP in the assembly elections. Opinion polls have forecast that BJP might struggle to win even five seats in the 294-seat assembly, and was unlikely to build upon its unprecedented 17 per cent vote share that it had notched up in the state in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

Sinha said the party was, however, not against refugees who have come here to take shelter and would take the initiative of granting them citizenship status by consulting with the Centre.

"The infiltrators are either from Bangladesh or Pakistan who have sneaked into the state for some particular reasons and all were from the minority community," Sinha claimed.

He alleged that these infiltrators were "exerting influence" on almost 125 Assembly constituencies in the state.

"Infiltration has assumed alarming proportions in West Bengal", he said.

Regarding the DA issue, he attacked the ruling Trinamool Congress for "cheating" the state government employees by paying "50% less" DA than the amount offered by the Centre.

"The party is for bringing parity between the central and state DAs within a period of two years if voted to power," he said.

The party manifesto also said that electricity tariff in West Bengal was the highest in the country and that it vouched for a 40% reduction.

It also contained issues related to finance, agriculture, industry and education, culture, health, corruption and criticised the ruling party on all such counts.

BJP has fielded candidates for almost all the 294 Assembly seats going to polls which kick off next week.