Bangladesh’s higher per-capita GDP fuels BJP’s voter-list crackdown controversy

The BJP’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of India’s voter rolls has sparked massive street protests in Delhi, with thousands detained and large parts of the capital sealed off. The government claims the operation aims to remove undocumented Bangladeshi migrants, a narrative reinforced by Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s accusation that the opposition protects “ghuspaithiyas.” However, the Election Commission has not disclosed any figures on alleged infiltrators, and documented cases show many genuine Indians were wrongly deleted.

Adding irony, the International Monetary Fund reported that Bangladesh’s per-capita GDP for the 2026 fiscal year is slightly above India’s, challenging the premise of a poorer-to-richer migration flow. Analysts note that India’s Muslims face higher exclusion rates, suggesting the SIR functions as a political dog whistle rather than a security measure. The episode echoes the 2019 Assam one outlet, where economic fears about Bangladesh migrants proved baseless yet caused widespread disruption. Overall, the SIR appears to serve the BJP’s electoral interests by removing voters likely to oppose it.