New Delhi, May 5 : One of the key issues in West Bengal is illegal immigration. It has been a problem that has been ongoing for years and with a complicit administration, illegal immigrants flooded the state. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while hailing the BJP's victory, made it clear that illegal immigrants must be prepared to leave the state.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, too, echoed the same sentiment. Officials say that one could expect a clean up and more importantly fresh illegal immigration is likely to come down in the months to come.

The official added that illegal immigration into West Bengal and the other Northeastern states was not just an economic issue. It has been a planned execution by the ISI and Jamaat-e-Islami since the late 1970s to effect a demographic change in India.

For the BJP, illegal immigration was a major issue during the elections. Even prior to the elections, the issue has been raised by the party several times.

An Intelligence Bureau official said that to curb issues such as illegal immigration it is important that the state government is on board with the central agencies.

With the BJP keen to address the issue, the state administration would move towards a zero-tolerance policy where illegal immigration is concerned.

Another official said that the first step would be to identify all illegal immigrants in the state. Then the process to deport them legally would take place. It would be a massive task for the state government since the numbers in West Bengal are huge.

The first step would be to look into the bordering districts of the state where the problem is immense, the official said. Districts such as Malda and Murshidabad would be the key areas to focus on since this is where most of the demographic changes have taken place, the official added.

Further, the state machinery would begin to hunt down the touts who are a major part of the problem. There are touts both in India and Bangladesh who coordinate with each other to bring in illegal immigrants.

Another official said that the crackdown in West Bengal on illegal immigration would have a ripple effect across the country. Most of these illegal immigrants who enter West Bengal have over the last couple of years started moving into other states.

Their presence apart from West Bengal and the northeastern states is most in the southern states, where they work as cheap labour in plantations, constructions among others.

Once the crackdown in West Bengal begins, the trail would lead up to the other states in the country. The entire racket is inter-connected, officials say.

Another official added that cracking down on the touts would be an important part of this exercise. These touts have links in almost all states of the country. It is a deep rooted network that facilitates the movement of illegal immigrants, the official also added.

In addition to cracking down on illegal immigration and the network of touts, the state administration in West Bengal along with the Central agencies would work closely on securing the border.

During the election campaign, the BJP had pledged to seal the border with Bangladesh. Officials say that while this is a key aspect in the fight against illegal immigration, cooperation with Bangladesh would also be the key.

There are certain parts of the border that cannot be fenced owing to rivers and dense forests. India and Bangladesh would work closely to ensure that illegal immigrants do not use these routes to slip into the country, the official added.

/IANS