India, March 15 -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday accused the ruling TMC of opposing the SIR exercise to "protect its vote bank of infiltrators", alleging that unchecked illegal immigration under its rule had altered the demographic balance in several parts of West Bengal.

Addressing a rally at the Brigade Parade Ground, Modi launched a sharp attack on the State's ruling party, accusing it of encouraging infiltration, changing the demography of the State and insulting constitutional institutions, while asserting that the "countdown has begun" for the Mamata Banerjee Government ahead of the Assembly polls. He claimed that in many places "demography has changed", Bengali Hindus were "deliberately being made minorities", and alleg...