Kolkata: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Jagannath Sarkar’s remarks of removing fences along the Indo-Bangla border and becoming one with Bangladesh if the party is voted to power in West Bengal in 2026 has triggered a political row in the eastern state.
“We promise that if we win the election this time, we will not keep the barbed wire fences between India and Bangladesh. Earlier we were one country. They (India and Bangladesh) were one earlier. In future they would become one, again,” Sarkar said while addressing a political rally in his constituency on Thursday.
Assembly elections in West Bengal are scheduled to be held in 2026. The ECI has already rolled out the SIR in the state to weed out fake voters. The BJP has alleged that many of these fake voters are Bangladeshis who came to India illegally.
He also said: “If the Trinamool Congress (TMC) comes to power, even then the fences will disappear. But this would become Bangladesh.”
West Bengal shares around 2216 km of border with Bangladesh - the longest stretch of international border shared by any state in India with a neighbouring country. While around 1647 km has been fenced till date, another 569 km stretch is yet to be covered by fences, the Rajya Sabha was informed in August this year. In around 112 km fences can’t be put up due to the terrain which includes multiple rivers.
{{/usCountry}}West Bengal shares around 2216 km of border with Bangladesh - the longest stretch of international border shared by any state in India with a neighbouring country. While around 1647 km has been fenced till date, another 569 km stretch is yet to be covered by fences, the Rajya Sabha was informed in August this year. In around 112 km fences can’t be put up due to the terrain which includes multiple rivers.
{{/usCountry}}Infiltration, trafficking and smuggling are major problems along this porous border. Top BJP leaders had on multiple occasions blamed the TMC-led government in the state for not providing land to set up fences.
The TMC has hit back saying that the BJP was fooling the people of the state and challenged the party to suspend the MP.
“The HYPOCRISY of the BJP leadership has fallen to new depths. @BJP4India MP from Ranaghat, Jagannath Sarkar declares that if the BJP COMES TO POWER, there will be no borders between INDIA AND BANGLADESH- both nations will become ONE again! On the other hand, the same BJP government including @HMOIndia Amit Shah keeps blaming the West Bengal government for not giving land to “PROTECT” the very BORDERS THEIR OWN MP WANTS TO ERASE!” Abhishek Banerjee, TMC MP and the party’s National general secretary, wrote on X on Saturday.
“I think he has been misquoted. How can there not be any fence. Barbed-wire fence is already there. Fences would also be put up in the unfenced sections,” Sukanta Majumdar, Union minister and BJP MP, told media persons.