The demographic imbalance in West Bengal has become a growing cause of concern. A journalist with the Organiser magazine named Pranay Kumar visited a few cities like New Jalpaiguri, Siliguri, Islampur, Malda Town, Murshidabad etc., villages and towns situated adjacent to them, where he noticed a terrible imbalance in the demographics in these villages. Many Rohingya immigrants from Bangladesh have come and settled in these areas. This unprecedented increase in the Muslim population in specific areas of the state bordering Bangladesh has forced many Hindus to migrate from these regions.
Describing the unmatched scenic beauty of these small hamlets in West Bengal, the Organiser journalist said that there are limitless business opportunities here since the land in this area of West Bengal is very fertile and hundreds of small villages are attached to and dependent on each market here but the only problem is the law and order situation and changing demographics.
The journalist went on to write that the condition of cities is comparable to that of other states in the country, but there is a severe demographic imbalance in the villages. In most villages and small towns, Muslims outnumber non-Muslims. There are also a large number of suspected Rohingyas from the bordering country of Bangladesh, who are being deliberately pushed into the villages for vote banks, despite the Centre identifying them as a security threat. As a result of their abundance, local Hindus migrate to other cities or safer locations. They flee as a result of organised and sponsored violence. They are terrified by the spread of violence, said the journalist.
As a result, Hindu migrants are selling their homes, farms, businesses, and other assets. Following their escape, some Muslims share their land, take gardens, and care for their homes with great care and skill. They then obtain ownership rights to those lands at rock-bottom prices, have them registered in their names by demonstrating a fear of losing possession of the house, and so on. The majority of these mango, orchard, fruit and vegetable markets are now controlled by Muslims.
It is critical for a border province like West Bengal to put a stop to this migration. Hindus’ main issue is migration and self-forgetfulness, opines Pranay Kumar.
Speaking further about the clout and influence that these Muslims have developed in these regions over time, the journalist stated that when he met a few Muslims living in these regions, he was surprised to see that they were living such a luxurious life despite living in a village. He described how a particular Muslim man he met owned over 125 madarsas, schools and professional institutions and a number of hospitals.
He also visited several madrasas, or religious schools for Muslim girls, as well as nursing and pharmacy schools. He said that he was surprised to see madrasas, schools, and nursing-pharmacy colleges operating with excellent infrastructure in areas bordering Bangladesh. Every year, around 50 young people from these madrasas travel to Saudi Arabia to study religion. The majority of them go on to become imams and bukharis. These madrasas educate Muslim children ranging in age from 7 to 30 years. They receive funds from all over the country. Saudi Arabia provides the funding, and they take full advantage of all state government schemes. Their entire system is designed to exploit government funds and schemes, said the Organiser journalist.
The journalist went on to say that he was surprised by how many Muslim officials were in charge of police administration in most of those border areas, which he believes is impossible without collusion with the power elite.
The journalist said that he also interacted with many Muslim girls and women and realised that there was terrible fanaticism among the youth.
Concerned about the growing Muslim population in these areas, the journalist stated that the demographics of rural conditions have a 70-30 ratio in some areas. He further narrated how a Muslim he met told him that fewer children are considered a “Gunah” in their society.
“When I came to know a Muslim family, they proudly told me he is a father and his 3 wives have in total 39 brothers and sisters apart. When my friend asked, “Do you have 3 children?” he proudly replied – “No, 6”. Again, fewer children are considered a “Gunah” in our society. It does not have any bad effect on the health of our wives due to “Allah ke Fazal”, and after the death of my brother, I have adopted his child on paper as well,” wrote the journalist.
The journalist further stated how a Muslim man, he encountered, confessed that the Madarsas being operated in those areas receive funds through hawala networks from Islamic countries in the Gulf.
“A Muslim told me we do not charge any fee for these children studying in Dini Talim or Madrasa-Pharma-Nursing. Those who are capable pay a fee of 1000 rupees per month. At first, he kept avoiding the question “Where does the money come from?” but on my repeated asking, he said that the rich Muslims of the Gulf countries, Kerala and the country give him charity,” wrote the Organiser journalist.
The journalist went on to say that the local Hindus in these areas believe that the only way to solve this growing crisis is for the ruling dispensation to change. “They want the BJP to win so that the winds of development flow in these areas, capital comes, the industry comes, making a place for itself in the minds of the people on the development front is a big achievement of the BJP, but it is a big failure of the BJP leadership to not provide qualified candidates. Even among the Muslims, people accepted it in a suppressed tongue that better development takes place under the BJP rule!” opined the journalist.
Further elucidating what went wrong with the BJP’s inroads into West Bengal, the journalist said that BJP is a ray of hope for West Bengal. People know and believe that only BJP can change the picture and destiny of West Bengal. But the local Hindus need a grassroots leader, who works on the ground, fights for them, and passes the benefits of various government schemes down the line to the common Hindu voter. The real problem of BJP, West Bengal, is that they do not have leaders to fight on the ground. If the BJP finds such leaders, then Hindus will vote for them along with a few Muslims, too. But unfortunately, most of the BJP’s winning leaders do not even spend time in the region, stay outside the state, are more interested in the politics of Delhi.
