West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Sunday said that around 4,800 illegal immigrants have been deported to Bangladesh from holding centres established in border districts of the state. He also stated that 836 more people are currently housed in these centres and are awaiting deportation.

Addressing a preparatory meeting for the BJP's special training camp, Adhikari described illegal immigration as a major concern for the state and the country. He said the government has already handed over land to the Border Security Force (BSF) for the construction of border fencing. According to him, nearly 100 km of land has been provided out of the 556 km required for fencing along the India-Bangladesh border in West Bengal.

"The land handover is a continuous process and is necessary for the security of the country," he said, adding that strengthening the international border remains a priority for his government.

"We have handed over to the BSF around 100 km stretch of land out of 556 km required for fencing, and prioritised the Chicken's Neck corridor in north Bengal," the chief minister said.

The Chicken's Neck, officially known as the Siliguri Corridor, is a narrow strip of land in north Bengal that links the northeastern states with the rest of India. The corridor is about 20-22 km wide and nearly 60 km long. It is considered strategically important because of its role in connecting the region and its significance from a security perspective.

West Bengal shares the longest international border with Bangladesh among all Indian states. The state's border stretches for 2,217 km out of the total 4,096 km of the India- Bangladesh boundary.

Speaking about the deportation process, Adhikari said the state government has begun sending back illegal immigrants who do not qualify under the Citizenship Amendment Act. He said the process is being carried out according to Union government laws.

"These people are being handed over to the BSF directly," Adhikari said.

He alleged that although similar laws were implemented in other states, the previous Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal did not enforce them. According to him, illegal immigrants were kept in state jails and continued to receive facilities funded by taxpayers.

"Around 4,800 illegal immigrants have been sent back from holding centres set up in the state's border districts," Adhikari said, adding that 836 such people are awaiting deportation from those facilities.

Referring to movement across the Hakimpur border in North 24 Parganas district, Adhikari claimed that several illegal immigrants had already left voluntarily.

"The demography of Bengal has changed," the chief minister claimed. He said the BJP had highlighted infiltration from Bangladesh and demographic changes as major issues during the West Bengal Assembly elections. He also accused the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress of ignoring these concerns for political reasons.

Adhikari further alleged that census work had not been initiated under the previous TMC government. He said the BJP government has now started the process and that house-to-house surveys will be conducted between August 1 and August 15.

"The census will be completed by the end of next February, and delimitation will be held based on it," the chief minister said.

The chief minister also spoke about the Annapurna Yojana welfare scheme. He said the government has transferred ₹3,000 each to 50 lakh women across the state. The scheme was introduced in line with the BJP's election promise to provide double the financial assistance available under the TMC government's Lakshmir Bhandar scheme.

"On the very first day, we gave the Annapurna Yojana benefit to 28,25,769 women, which is our biggest achievement," Adhikari said.

Responding to criticism regarding the 12-page application form required for beneficiaries, he defended the verification process.

"The money to be given is from the government exchequer. So, it has to be properly verified," he said.

Adhikari also alleged irregularities in the implementation of the Lakshmir Bhandar scheme. He claimed that 27 lakh beneficiaries out of the reported 2.2 crore recipients were not listed on the voter rolls. He further alleged that around three lakh male beneficiaries had received benefits from the women-focused welfare programme.

He termed the issue as "dangerous corruption" and said the stricter verification system introduced by his government would prove beneficial in the long run.

"Over the next 50 years, the government will benefit from the transparent process we adopted," the chief minister said.