Pilot Accuses BJP of ‘11 Years of Gimmicks’ on Illegal Immigration

Sachin Pilot, a senior Congress leader, accused the BJP on Thursday of misleading the public about the problem of illegal immigration and claimed that despite being in power for the last 11 years, the party-led government at the centre has not taken any real action against them.

Speaking to reporters in Jagdalpur, the Bastar district headquarters, Pilot, the Congress chief for Chhattisgarh, also said that the BJP government used "gimmicks" and that there was a discrepancy between its words and deeds.

In the previous 11 years, he wanted to know how many illegal immigrants the Centre had actually found and deported.

"Anyone who is an illegal migrant has no right to stay in the country as per the law. Action must be taken against those living here illegally, and we fully support such action. But for the past 11 years, they have only been misleading people through speeches. There is a BJP government in Assam; they should present data and show what action they have taken there (against illegal migrants)," he said.

"This is nothing but a gimmick used during elections to mislead people and falsely claim that Congress stands with illegal migrants," Pilot added.

He said there will be a Director General of Police (DGP) meeting in Chhattisgarh starting on Friday to talk about peace and order throughout India, but he questioned responsibility for crimes committed within the state.

"Loot, exploitation, and crimes against women are taking place in Chhattisgarh, yet no one is taking responsibility. This is all about projection and perception, with no substance on the ground," he alleged.

On the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, Pilot sought to know why the Election Commission was not acting on documents and data regarding alleged voter list fraud presented by the Congress.

"The question arises, how lakhs of names were removed from the Bihar voter list? Rahul Gandhi ji held a press conference showing evidence of vote theft and deletion of names. Unfortunately, the EC did not even consider ordering an inquiry," he said, stressing that elections must remain "free and fair." He said that Congress fears genuine voters from Dalit, Adivasi, poor and backward communities may be targeted (during the SIR exercises).

"We want no genuine voter in this country to be excluded. We will keep up the pressure to ensure fairness," he said.

"BJP leaders repeatedly use the term 'infiltrators' to mislead the public. I want to clearly state that anyone who is an illegal migrant and is voting unlawfully should not be allowed to do so. But in the last 11 years, how many people has the BJP government actually identified and deported? There is a clear gap between their words and actions. Questions were asked in Parliament, yet no clear figures were given," Pilot said.

"If someone in Chhattisgarh is poor, backward, vulnerable or uneducated, does that make them an infiltrator? Farmers who are sowing and harvesting now, do they have time to run around collecting documents? Many cannot even manage two meals a day. The Congress stands with such people," he said.

Replying to a question about Congress's stand on the encounter of top Maoist commander Hidma, Pilot said the Congress has a long history of fighting extremism.

"I am surprised that our stand is being questioned. Since the pre-Independence era, and over the past 75 years, the Congress has always prioritised the unity, integrity and sovereignty of this nation. Our leaders sacrificed their lives rather than bowing to terrorism. Whether Naxalism, terrorism or separatism, we have always confronted and defeated these forces," he said.

"Anyone who resorts to violence, works against national interest, or violates the law must face strict action. The Congress lost an entire generation in the Naxal attack in Chhattisgarh. How can anyone accuse us of supporting such forces? For us, the nation and its security come first, and party and ideology come later," Pilot added.

He further accused the BJP-led central government of misusing central agencies to target the opposition, media, and citizens.