BJP's Suvendu Adhikari flags border security concerns in Bengal after Bangladesh polls

Senior BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari on Sunday (February 15, 2026) expressed concern over developments along the Bangladesh border following political changes in Dhaka after the election, and alleged that a "serious political consolidation" has emerged across the border that calls for heightened vigilance and stronger border infrastructure.

In a post on X, Mr. Adhikari claimed that Jamaat-e-Islami secured victories in 68 constituencies in Bangladesh's 2026 elections in districts from Satkhira to Rangpur, located opposite sensitive border areas with West Bengal.

The leader of the opposition in the West Bengal Assembly described the Siliguri corridor as a strategic lifeline connecting India's northeastern States with the mainland and asserted that any ideological consolidation in that belt would require increased alertness and robust security arrangements.

The BJP leader in his post in Bengali alleged that the ruling Trinamool Congress government in the State has repeatedly failed to extend full cooperation in land acquisition needed by the BSF for border fencing.

He also referred to a directive of the Calcutta High Court asking the state to hand over land required for fencing and stating that administrative delays were unacceptable in matters concerning national security.

Calling the situation a "changed geopolitical scenario," Mr. Adhikari outlined a set of measures he said were necessary for West Bengal, including full cooperation with the BSF, completion of fencing in vulnerable areas within a fixed timeframe, a zero-tolerance approach to infiltration, and governance focused on security rather than vote-bank politics.

He further asserted that only a "double-engine" government led by the Bharatiya Janata Party at both the Centre and in the State could ensure border security.

Mr. Adhikari warned that any other electoral outcome in the 2026 Assembly polls in the State, coupled with the rise of extremist ideologies across the border, could accelerate infiltration and strengthen the idea of a so-called "Greater Bangladesh."

"West Bengal's security is India's security," he said.