Release white paper on Bangladeshi deportations: Ivan D’Souza challenges BJP

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, July 14, 2026: Karnataka Legislative Council member Ivan D’Souza on Tuesday challenged the BJP’s state leadership to release a white paper detailing the number of Bangladeshi nationals deported from BJP-ruled states and by the Centre.

Addressing a press conference at the Congress office in Lalbagh, Mangaluru, D’Souza said the BJP had promised to expel Bangladeshi immigrants within a day of coming to power in West Bengal. "It has been two months since the BJP assumed office. The party should now disclose how many Bangladeshi nationals have been deported from West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha, Assam and the northeastern states," he said.

He urged BJP leaders in Karnataka to press the Union government to issue a white paper on the matter, arguing that official figures would reveal whether it was the Congress or the BJP that had actually acted against illegal Bangladeshi immigrants.

D’Souza claimed that during former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s 10-year tenure, around 83,000 Bangladeshi nationals were identified and deported. In contrast, he alleged that the Narendra Modi-led government had deported only about 8,000 Bangladeshis in the past 12 years. He said BJP leaders, including MP Capt. Brijesh Chowta and state president B.Y. Vijayendra, should be aware of these figures.

He accused the BJP of using the issue of illegal immigration to target Muslims and other minority communities while attempting to exclude genuine voters from electoral rolls. "The BJP must clarify whether preventing illegal infiltration is the responsibility of the Congress, the state government, or the Union government. The Centre controls the borders, yet it allows infiltrators to enter and later blames the Opposition," he alleged.

Referring to recent cases in Mangaluru and Surathkal where Bangladeshi nationals were detected, D’Souza said these actions were taken under the Congress government. Challenging the BJP, he asked its leaders to cite even one instance where the Congress had protected illegal Bangladeshi immigrants.

Rejecting BJP allegations that the Congress was trying to enrol Bangladeshi nationals in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and grant them voting rights, D’Souza termed the accusations "false and politically motivated." He alleged that the BJP had spread similar propaganda during elections in five states and manipulated the SIR process in three of them to secure victories.

Explaining the Congress’ stand on the SIR exercise, D’Souza said the party opposed certain aspects of the revision but was ensuring that genuine voters were not left out. He said the Congress had appointed BLA-2 (Booth Level Agents) in all 54,000 polling booths across Karnataka to assist Booth Level Officers (BLOs) in completing the enumeration process and helping eligible voters remain on the electoral rolls.

He criticised the BJP for meeting the Election Commission and alleging irregularities in the SIR process. "If Union ministers claim there are deficiencies in the SIR, they are effectively accusing the Election Commission itself. The Karnataka government has provided the Commission with the necessary officers and staff to carry out the exercise," he said.

D’Souza also dismissed BJP protests over the issuance of Permanent Residence Certificates (PRCs), saying no new law or policy had been introduced. He explained that PRCs are issued only after verification of Aadhaar cards, voter identity cards and proof of permanent residence by Village Accountants, Revenue Inspectors and Tahsildars. The process has merely been simplified by allowing Panchayat Development Officers (PDOs) to facilitate applications.

He said the PRC is one of the 11 documents accepted by the Election Commission for voters whose names do not appear in the 2002 electoral roll. "Those alleging that PRCs are being issued to include Bangladeshi nationals in the voter list should provide evidence instead of making baseless accusations," he said.

Highlighting challenges in the SIR exercise, D’Souza said many BLOs were facing confusion while filling out enumeration forms, prompting the Congress to deploy BLA-2 volunteers to assist citizens. He noted that the Deputy Commissioner had stated that only about 11% of the enumeration forms had been collected so far in the district.

He also alleged that some officials were being pressured to submit forms on behalf of people who had shifted residences or held voter IDs in multiple locations. "I am not making accusations against anyone at this stage, but once the draft electoral roll is published, these issues will be made public," he said.

Several Congress leaders, including Appi, Shashidhar Hegde, Bhaskar Moily, Nagendra Kumar, Bhaskar Rao, Satish Pengal, James Praveen, Alton D’Cunha, Imran, Manish Bolar and Manoj M.P., were present at the press conference.