Infiltrators to be removed not only from electoral rolls but also from country in next 5 yrs: Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah (file image)

Asserting that if India can be free of Naxals, it can also be free of infiltrators, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said that the illegal immigrants would be removed not only from the electoral rolls but also from the country in the next five years.

Shah was addressing a gathering after laying the foundation stone for a new campus of the Assam Police 10th Battalion, which he said would be constructed on land freed from encroachments by infiltrators.

"It is, however, not enough to evict the infiltrators from the encroached land as they will go and settle elsewhere... They must be removed from the country," he said.

Attacking Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Shah said that the Congress leader had once said that infiltrators would be removed, but the "Congress can't do so as illegal immigrants are its votebank".

Congress' policy of protecting the infiltrators has threatened Assam's 'jati' (people), 'mati' (land) and 'bheti' (foundation), he alleged.

"If the Congress is committed to get rid of infiltrators, I challenge Rahul Gandhi to mention it in its manifesto," he said.

Shah said that Assam will become the industrial hub of eastern and northeastern India in the next five years.

Elections to the 126-member Assam Assembly are expected to be held in March-April.