The Modi government’s recent crackdown on illegal immigration has set off a dramatic political storm. From vanishing workforces in cities like Gurugram to uproar over the revision of electoral rolls in Bihar, the Opposition claims the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is working to disenfranchise millions of Indians.

Amid all this, what stands out is not just the impact of these actions, but the intensity of the opposition’s reaction. After all, this may just be a struggle for the very foundation of some parties’ political strength.

Let’s start with Gurugram. The millennium city’s economy, humming with construction and service industries, has endured visible disruption as hundreds of migrant labourers — primarily Bengali-speaking — have disappeared from work sites in recent weeks. While the government’s drives have detained a few hundred individuals for verification, the overwhelming response has been one of anticipatory flight: families hurriedly packing up, liquidating meagre assets and moving out with little warning.

Why would so many people flee if they are not at risk? Police reports reveal that out of the detained group, only a handful were found to be without valid documentation, the rest cleared and left untouched. The pre-emptive departure suggests that even among those who may be on the right side of the law, there’s an atmosphere of uncertainty — a sense that their documentation may not withstand a deeper scrutiny, or perhaps, that networks of false papers are more prevalent than previously thought.

This aggressive enforcement isn’t limited to one city. After Operation Sindoor, India has launched a nationwide........

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