‘India won’t be safe until its borders are secured’
| Date :22-Aug-2026 |
SILIGURI :
ASSERTING that neither the State nor the country will be safe until its frontiers are secured, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday slammed former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over the delay in the India-Bangladesh border fencing, alleging that his “repeated pleas” to her for land to erect the fences fell on deaf ears.
On the second day of his north Bengal tour, Shah hit out at Banerjee while attending a programme organised at the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) frontier headquarters here for the groundbreaking and foundation stone-laying ceremonies of various SSB projects.
“My desperate and repeated pleas to Mamata Banerjee for land to set up border fences by the BSF fell on deaf ears. I had been asking for 1,129 acres of land to strengthen border security since 2014. We received the land parcel only after the Adhikari Government was formed in the State,” Shah said. Stating that no previous
CMs of the State ever attended programmes of the SSB or the BSF, Shah congratulated Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, who flanked the Union Home Minister on the dais, for breaking the glass ceiling.
“Former CMs of Bengal never participated in SSB celebrations despite sending them invitations. The SSB is not a political organisation. The force is beyond such considerations,” the Union Home Minister said, indicating that such indifference towards the protector
s of the nation’s frontiers gave out wrong signals. Shah lauded the Chief Minister for his prompt responses to security-related requirements of the Centre. “Ever since Adhikari came to power, we have received whatever we required to enhance our border security. The State’s approvals for projects are now received even before formal letters are sent,” Shah said. Adhikari said the functioning of his Government to bring a “transformative” change in West Bengal was guided by a four-point agenda, including an uncompromising stand on national security and nationalism. He said that soon after assuming charge, his administration cleared the long-pending Census process and expedited land transfer to the BSF along West Bengal’s border with Bangladesh.
s of the nation’s frontiers gave out wrong signals. Shah lauded the Chief Minister for his prompt responses to security-related requirements of the Centre. “Ever since Adhikari came to power, we have received whatever we required to enhance our border security. The State’s approvals for projects are now received even before formal letters are sent,” Shah said. Adhikari said the functioning of his Government to bring a “transformative” change in West Bengal was guided by a four-point agenda, including an uncompromising stand on national security and nationalism. He said that soon after assuming charge, his administration cleared the long-pending Census process and expedited land transfer to the BSF along West Bengal’s border with Bangladesh.