The ‘Infiltrators’ of Delhi

The presence of Bangladeshi migrants in Delhi, and in India itself, became a major element in the election campaigns of Hindu nationalists in the 1990s. For Hindu nationalists, the Hindu Bangladeshis in India are ‘refugees’ and the Muslim Bangladeshis are ‘infiltrators’ who are actively conspiring against the Hindus of India. This chapter investigates the context and timing for the inclusion of Bangladeshi migrants by the Sangh Parivar into their Hindutva agenda. The interviews in Delhi with the influential leaders from the BJP, Congress, RSS, and VHP and notable civil society members provide an insight into the local state-level discourses, and also into the nationwide controversies concerning Bangladeshi migrants in India.