Karnataka Legislative Council member Ivan D’Souza on Tuesday challenged the BJP’s state leadership to release a white paper detailing the number of Bangladeshi nationals deported from BJP-ruled states and by the Centre, at a press conference in Mangaluru on July 14, 2026. D’Souza argued that the BJP had promised to expel Bangladeshi immigrants within a day of coming to power in West Bengal, and it has been two months since the party assumed office. He urged BJP leaders in Karnataka to press the Union government to issue a white paper on the matter, which would reveal the actual numbers of deported Bangladeshi nationals. During former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s 10-year tenure, around 83,000 Bangladeshi nationals were identified and deported, D’Souza claimed, whereas the Narendra Modi-led government had deported only about 8,000 Bangladeshis in the past 12 years. D’Souza accused the BJP of using the issue of illegal immigration to target Muslims and other minority communities, while attempting to exclude genuine voters from electoral rolls. He asked the BJP to clarify whether preventing illegal infiltration is the responsibility of the Congress, the state government, or the Union government. The Congress has appointed BLA-2 in all 54,000 polling booths across Karnataka to assist Booth Level Officers in completing the enumeration process and helping eligible voters remain on the electoral rolls. D’Souza dismissed BJP protests over the issuance of Permanent Residence Certificates, saying no new law or policy had been introduced.
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📰 Source: Mangalore Today