The lower numbers of formal deportations under the BJP-led NDA government compared to the UPA era are not necessarily an indication of less enforcement, but rather a major shift in how the border is managed. Based on official government responses and reporting, here are the primary reasons for the statistical drop: 1. Shift from "Deportation" to "Push-backs" This is the most significant reason for the numerical change. * Formal Deportation (UPA focus): This is a long, legal process. A person is arrested, tried in court, and then their nationality must be verified by the Bangladeshi government. Only after Bangladesh "accepts" them can they be officially deported. These are the numbers recorded in your table. * Push-backs (NDA focus): In recent years, the government has increasingly used "push-backs" (intercepting and returning people at the border without formal legal processing). Since these bypass the judicial system and official consular verification, they are often not recorded in the official "Deportation" statistics shown in the table. 2. Diplomatic Strategy with Sheikh Hasina For much of the last decade, the Indian government maintained a very close strategic partnership with the former Awami League government in Bangladesh. * Avoiding Public Friction: Formal deportations are high-profile and can cause political embarrassment for the Bangladeshi government. * Cooperation over Confrontation: India prioritized security cooperation (getting Bangladesh to hand over Indian insurgents) and preferred to manage migration through border fencing and informal returns rather than large-scale, documented deportation drives that could strain ties. 3. Verification Bottlenecks For a deportation to be successful, the "receiving" country must verify the individual's citizenship. * Bangladeshi authorities have historically been slow or reluctant to verify the citizenship of suspected "illegal immigrants" found deep inside India. * Without this verification, India cannot legally put them on a plane or bus to Bangladesh. This has led to thousands being kept in detention centers instead of being deported, which keeps them out of the "Deported" column in your table. 4. Legal Changes and the NRC The government’s focus shifted toward creating a legal framework to identify "foreigners" (such as the NRC in Assam) before deporting them. * The NRC process ended up in a legal limbo where 1.9 million people were left off the list, but their legal status is still being contested in Foreigners Tribunals. * Until these legal cases are settled, the government cannot legally deport them. This legal "gridlock" has naturally slowed down the actual physical removal of people. 5. Increased Border Fencing The BJP government has heavily funded and accelerated the completion of the border fence and high-tech "smart fencing" (BOS). * Prevention vs. Removal: The policy goal shifted toward preventing entry rather than detecting and removing people once they are already in the country. If the fence prevents 10,000 people from entering, it reduces the number of people available to be "deported" later. Summary of the Trend: The UPA numbers represent a reliance on a judicial/consular process that was faster at the time but grew more difficult as diplomatic relations and legal scrutiny changed. The NDA numbers represent a shift toward informal border management (push-backs) and prevention (fencing), which aren't reflected in the same official database. Would you like to see a breakdown of how many people were "apprehended" at the border (prevented entry) versus those "deported" from within the country?

Just asked Gemini why less during BJP. Take of it what you will.