Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 79th Independence Day announcement of a ‘High-Powered Demography Mission’ is not merely a policy shift; it is a historic and necessary course correction. For too long, demographic change driven by illegal infiltration has been treated as a peripheral issue. This mission correctly identifies it as an existential crisis, acknowledging a fundamental truth: a nation that cannot control its demography cannot control its destiny.
The threat is not abstract. It begins with unbearable pressure on local resources—land, water, jobs—robbing citizens of their opportunities. It then shreds the social fabric, sowing conflict between communities. Finally, in sensitive border regions, it creates fertile ground for radicalism and external interference, posing a direct threat to India’s integrity.
To understand the mission’s urgency, one must look to history. The 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War was a tipping point. While India acted heroically to shelter millions of refugees, a significant portion never returned, initiating an uncontrolled demographic shift in Assam and West Bengal. The subsequent six-year Assam Movement (1979-1985) was a clear signal that infiltration had become a source of profound social unrest.
Yet, a culture of political expediency prevailed. Successive governments were accused of cultivating illegal migrant communities as captive vote banks. This strategic negligence reached its nadir in 2004, when the government admitted in Parliament to an estimated 1.2 crore illegal Bangladeshi migrants in India. This was not an administrative failure; it was a self-confessed crisis allowed to fester, rewarding unlawful entry over the rights of legal citizens.
Today, the demographic imbalance from infiltration is a national challenge. The strain on public services is acute, with unauthorised populations pressuring healthcare, education, and housing infrastructure, particularly in urban slums. This phenomenon distorts labour markets, displacing local workers and suppressing wages. The problem has metastasised, with glaring anomalies like Aadhaar registrations surpassing the total population in some border districts of West Bengal and Jharkhand, and intelligence reports estimating tens of thousands of illegal migrants living with fake identities in states like Kerala.
The Demography Mission is the strategic umbrella for a series of decisive actions. From nationwide crackdowns on the ecosystems that sustain infiltration—like fake birth certificate rackets—to the apprehension of thousands of infiltrators, the government has signalled a zero-tolerance policy. This mission formalises the strategy, moving from passive identification to a doctrine of active deterrence and expulsion.
This occurs against a backdrop of new geopolitical uncertainty. The overthrow of Sheikh Hasina’s government in Bangladesh in August 2024 has frayed a crucial security partnership, turning the 4,096-kilometre border into a potential conduit for more than just economic migrants. The sheer scale of attempted crossings, with over 2,600 apprehended in 2024 alone, underscores the persistence of the threat.
Predictably, this mission faces political opposition from parties that have historically benefited from the vote banks it seeks to dismantle. But this is not a matter of politics; it is a matter of national security and the rule of law. While significant implementation challenges remain—the absence of a repatriation treaty with Bangladesh, and complex humanitarian considerations—the demographic projections make clear that inaction is no longer a viable option.
The High-Powered Demography Mission is a defining moment. It prioritises the rights, resources, and security of Indian citizens as non-negotiable. The choice is between allowing our demographic destiny to be dictated by illegal infiltration or taking decisive steps to secure our borders and our future. This announcement will likely be remembered as the moment India chose sovereignty.
