Amit Shah: Muslim population up because of large-scale infiltration

On October 10, 2025, India’s Home Minister Amit Shah addressed demographic shifts in Delhi, attributing the 24.6% increase in the Muslim population since independence to illegal infiltration from Pakistan and Bangladesh, rather than fertility rates. Citing census data from 1951 to 2011 showing Hindu population declining from 84% to 79% and Muslim population rising from 9.8% to 14.2%, Shah emphasized the Citizenship Amendment Act’s provisions for persecuted minorities from those countries, distinguishing refugees from infiltrators. He outlined a ‘detect, delete, and deport’ strategy to safeguard national security and ensure only citizens participate in democracy.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah recently delivered a strong address on the issue of demographic change in India, asserting that the rise in the country’s Muslim population is primarily due to large-scale infiltration, rather than an increased fertility rate. He made these remarks during the ‘Narendra Mohan Memorial Lecture’ organized by Dainik Jagran, focusing on the themes of ‘Infiltration, Demographic Change, and Democracy’.

Shah highlighted a significant shift in population statistics, noting that between the 1951 and 2011 censuses, the Muslim population in India increased by 24.6 per cent, while the Hindu population decreased by 4.5 per cent. He firmly stated that this disparity is not due to fertility rates but is a direct consequence of infiltration, particularly from countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh, which were created based on religion during the Partition of India. He also pointed out that the Hindu population in those neighboring countries (including Afghanistan) has declined, with many seeking refuge in India.

The Home Minister stressed that this infiltration poses a serious threat to India’s cultural identity and democratic principles. He accused certain political parties of seeing infiltrators not as a danger to the nation but as a potential vote bank. To combat this, Shah reaffirmed his party’s commitment to the long-standing strategy of “Detect, Delete, and Deport.”

Explaining the three-part strategy, Shah said the government intends to first identify all infiltrators. Next, they will make every effort to remove their names from the voter list, emphasizing that the right to vote should be strictly limited to Indian citizens. Finally, the government will work to deport them to their countries of origin. He argued that allowing infiltrators to be included in the voter list corrupts the constitutional foundation of democracy, as they become participants in the country’s political decision-making without a genuine national interest.

Shah also used the occasion to defend the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), describing it as a national pledge that has been fulfilled. He clarified that the CAA’s purpose is not to take away anyone’s citizenship but to grant citizenship to refugees who have faced persecution. He assured the public that the Act has no provision to deprive any community—be it Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, or Christians—of their current citizenship rights.

Furthermore, he addressed the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, asserting that it is a national priority, not a political one. He questioned how illegal entry could be stopped if local administrations failed to identify people who enter the country unlawfully, noting that while Gujarat and Rajasthan share borders, they do not experience the same level of infiltration. Shah stressed that the Election Commission must conduct the SIR to ensure free and fair elections, which is only possible when the voter list accurately reflects the country’s citizens.