BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, speaking during Question Hour in the Lok Sabha on the third day of the Winter Session, alleged that Opposition parties are relying on Bangladeshi infiltrators to expand their vote base, describing it as a deliberate strategy “to win elections.”
Dubey raised concerns over what he described as a dramatic decline in the tribal population in the Santhal Pargana division of Jharkhand. According to him, the indigenous population in the region has dropped sharply over the decades. “My area, Santhal Pargana, always had a majority population of indigenous people. In 1991, there were at least 45% adivasis. In the 2011 Census, that number had fallen to 21%. I am sure the 2026–2027 Census will reveal the number to have plunged further to 26–27%. While we speak about protection of adivasis, nearly 50% of the community has just vanished,” he said.
Santhal Pargana, headquartered in Dumka, comprises six districts: Godda, Deoghar, Dumka, Jamtara, Sahibganj and Pakur. Dubey claimed the demographic imbalance is worsening, alleging a significant influx of outsiders.
A sharp rise in the Muslim population in the same region was also cited by Dubey, who reiterated his demand for the rapid implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC). “This is not about Hindu-Muslim ratio. You must note that in the entire country the proportional rise of Muslims is 4%, however, in my area the rise has been 15%,” he stated during discussions related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.
The BJP MP alleged that Bangladeshi infiltrators had “replaced the native adivasi population” in parts of Godda constituency. According to him, migration patterns make little economic sense unless external factors are driving settlement. “The area we are talking about barely has means for survival or job opportunities. Natives are fleeing from the spot. Then who are these people who are coming and settling there? These are all Bangladeshi infiltrators who are coming and settling down and will, in future, interfere in our electoral process. The Opposition uses this vote bank to win elections wherever they do,” he claimed.
Dubey urged the Centre to strengthen the role of the Border Security Force (BSF) in these areas and said infiltrators were entering Jharkhand from “Malda, Murshidabad, Kishanganj, Purnea.” He requested greater BSF powers to remove what he described as “clusters” of illegal immigrants.
The MP had made similar allegations in June 2025, accusing people from Malda and Murshidabad, alongside what he claimed were actions of the West Bengal government under Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, of forcing local residents out of villages. He alleged that Hindu-majority villages were becoming deserted while the Muslim population continued to grow, saying the Jharkhand police were unable to intervene effectively.
In his earlier remarks, Dubey had also claimed that tribal women were marrying Bangladeshi men and pointed to a woman who contested a tribal-reserved Lok Sabha seat while being married to a Muslim man. “It is not a question of Hindu-Muslim. Mamata Banerjee’s police and people from Malda and Murshidabad come there and push people away. It is a serious matter. Villages of Hindus have been deserted. The Jharkhand police are unable to do anything. The Muslim population is increasing day by day. Let Malda and Murshidabad be made Union Territories and the NRC implemented,” he had said.
