Millions of Bengali Hindu refugees migrated from East Pakistan to West Bengal mainly in three phases, namely: around 1947, in 1964 and during 1971. But, even after liberation of Bangladesh, migration of Hindus continued. Religious persecution of Hindus in Islamic Pakistan and Muslim Bangladesh was the single reason for that migration. This is objectively found in the steady decline of Hindu population in East Pakistan and Bangladesh through decades.
The proportion of Hindu population in East Pakistan / Bangladesh dropped steadily from 22.05 percent to 8.54 percent between 1951 and 2011. The present proportion is estimated to be 7.95 percent. The bulk of the migration occurred to West Bengal and rest to Assam and Tripura of North-East India. That way there was to be a surge in proportion of Hindu population in the state of West Bengal over the past decades. But surprisingly it happened in favour of Muslims of West Bengal instead.
Proportion of Muslim population in West Bengal between 1951 and 2011 steadily increased from 19.85 percent to 27.01 percent. The current estimated proportion will be about 33 percent. This increase was particularly stiff after 1971.
Such paradoxical situation occurred due to uncontrolled and continuous illegal infiltration of Muslims from Bangladesh to West Bengal after 1971 for economic and Islamic reasons. West Bengal has been a soft target for such illegal infiltration, because of its mis-placed sense of Secularism and uncontrolled weakness about some imaginary Bangaliana (Bengali-ness) on either side of Indo-Bangladesh border. The 34 years long Communist government of the state was notorious for allowing Muslim infiltration to serve its vote bank politics. This illegal infiltration of Muslims is still happening in the state for existing conducive socio-political reason.
As an additional proof, it can be pointed out that, while decadal growth of Muslims in West Bengal was 35 percent during 1981-1991, in Bangladesh it was as low as 25 percent during the same period. How that could happen, when awareness of family planning and its practices were almost non-existent in Bangladesh at that time in comparison to West Bengal? This could only be explained by illegal infiltration of a very large number of Muslims from Bangladesh to West Bengal.
While many Bengali Hindu refugees from East Pakistan up to 1971 were settled in Bihar, UP, Orissa, Jharkhand, MP, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Andaman by government of India, the illegal Bangladeshi Muslim infiltrators, in big number, are also found in Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai and all other parts of India. So, the one cancels out the other. Thus, for each Bengali Hindu refugee from East Pakistan / Bangladesh, there were at least two illegal Bangladeshi Muslim infiltrators in West Bengal to make this demographic shift.
It is for sure that most of the today’s Bongs of West Bengal are proudly unaware of these facts and shout against BJP/RSS for communalizing the people of the state. While representatives of such Bongs were eating beef, the first thing after landing in Dhaka, to push their fraud of Epar Bangla Opar Bangla (This side of Bengal and that side of Bengal), Bangladeshi Muslims were successfully achieving the demographic transformation of West Bengal in favour of Muslims.
The Muslims of West Bengal (legal and illegal) had already shown their raw strength publicly in the issues of settlement of Rohingya Muslims, Triple Talaq Law and CAA. The anti-CAA agitation in West Bengal was highly violent with destruction of public properties for days together in different parts of the state. The New Market in Central Kolkata gives more a feel of Dhaka than Kolkata. Moreover, the Muslim dominated localities of Kolkata, as well as, the whole state, are like Islamic forts. Even Police cannot dare to enter those localities without permission of local Muslim leaders.
During past some years, we have seen Islamic disturbances / riots / explosions / burning / preventing from celebration of Pujas etc in many places of West Bengal like: Deganga, Noliyakhali, Gangpur, Hajinagar, Tultuligram, Telengepara, Sakrail, Chandannagar, Kolaberia, Ballabpurghat, Katoa, Kharagpur, Gopalbazar, Mallalpur, Kaliachok, Coochbehar, Khagragarh, Dhulagarh, Parui, Patra, Tehatta, Phulbari, Birbhum, Chanchal, Chopra, Mohana, Mohanpur, Naihati, Samudragarh, Rupnagar, Tarakeshwar, Taraknagar and Panchagram. Different Jihadi groups of Bangladesh are safely residing and growing in strength in West Bengal.
Blaming BJP/RSS by the Hindu Bengali of West Bengal for above mentioned mishaps is utter stupidity. This would further help in the Islamization of the state of West Bengal. While Hindu Bengali of West Bengal were busy in developing the culture of giving Azan from their Durga Puja pandals, Muslims indulged in riots in different Muslim dominated localities of Kolkata during first half of October 2022. Can any sane Hindu Bengali of West Bengal think of Hindus committing riots in Dhaka? Can any Hindu Bengali of West Bengal dare to think of playing Bhajan from Mosque?
Following Great Calcutta Killing and Noakhali Massacre of 1946, Bongs have become the perpetual victims of Stockholm Syndrome with a very intense Death Wish. Their bogus intellectuality and leftist indulgence made them feel pride in abusing and criticizing Hinduism on one hand and protecting and promoting Islam on the other. Their Bengali identity is more akin to Muslim Bangladesh.
The actual and universal intention of Muslim infiltration in West Bengal from Bangladesh can be seen in the famous Turkish TV serials Ertugrul and Osman. The serials advocated killing of Kafirs, to establish Islam. Increasing population through infiltration is the first steps to achieve that objective in West Bengal. The same Muslim infiltration in Europe is going on now with all adverse socio-political implications.
Islam, from the beginning, has been a socio-political doctrine. The doctrine is used to capture political power and control society as per the tribal norms of 7th century Arabia. For this reasons Muslims in India vote en masse for the cause and interest of the community and Islam only. But Hindus vote for different and diverse causes in fragmented manner. Thus, better demographic strength has given the Muslims of West Bengal a democratic advantage to dictate the election results.
After independence, Muslims voted for Congress in West Bengal, as the party supported their causes. Then they allowed the Communists to rule the state for 34 continuous years. In 2011, they shifted their electoral allegiance towards TMC to bring it in power. Their present allegiance continues to be in favour of TMC. The defeat of BJP in the hands of TMC in 2021 Assembly election was not at all unexpected. Mamata Banerjee and Prashant Kishor were wrongly given credit for the defeat of BJP.
In Assam, proportion of Muslim population is as high as about 35 percent. This happened due to indulgence of the ruling Congress Party through decades allowing mass illegal infiltration of Muslims from Bangladesh. But Hindus there, both Assamese and Bengali, have unitedly supported BJP in two consecutive Assembly elections to bring BJP to power.
Present BJP government of Assam is engaged in course correction now. But, in case of West Bengal, a large section of the Bongs is staunchly anti-BJP like their Muslim brothers. May be, they are waiting for their merger with Muslim Bangladesh. However, a better option for them can be a Kashmir-like situation.
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About the author: Jadabeswar Bhattacharjee served in the Government of India for 35 years and retired as Higher Administrative Grade Officer. After retirement from the service, he developed interest in writing on contentious issues and topics. His published books are (1) Politically incorrect Point of View, (2) Politics, Bong and Faith, (3) The Alternative Narrative, (4) The West Bengal Saga and (5) Political Islam and India. He presently resides in Kolkata and NCR.
