For a long time even after Independence, Vande Mataram was not accepted from the core of the heart by some people, Home Minister Amit Shah said on Friday.Addressing a gathering of the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) at Siliguri, Shah recalled that despite the strategic significance of Siliguri Corridor (also known as the Chicken’s Neck), former West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee did not heed to the Centre’s repeated pleas to allot land for border fencing.“Vande Mataram was sung in Parliament. Everyone used to stand up. But many people like me were saddened that even after Independence and the Partition, the entire Vande Mataram was not sung,” he said.The Minister said, “A few days ago, Independence Day was celebrated. Since 2015, whenever Prime Minister Narendra Modi has hoisted the national flag at the Red Fort, I used to be present there. But this year’s Independence Day ceremony was different. This was the first time that the entire Vande Mataram was sung. This is a unique creation of Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay. It not only gave momentum to the freedom movement, but also gave it a vision of what an independent India should be like,” the Home Minister said.Shah also praised West Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari, who was present on the occasion, for expediting the process of land acquisition for border fencing, which had been lying pending since several years.“The state government has already allotted 1,129 acres of land for border fencing. Earlier, I personally pleaded with Mamata Banerjee so many times for land allotment. But she ignored that plea. I used to invite her to attend Central government programmes in West Bengal. But I failed to make her realise that we were not seeking the land for the BJP. She did not understand that we were seeking the land for border security to ensure the safety and security of the country,” Shah claimed.”Ever since Adhikari came to power, we have received whatever we required to enhance our border security. The state’s approvals for projects are now received even before formal letters are sent,” Shah added.“Today, we inaugurated projects worth Rs 189 crore focussed on the SSB’s infrastructure and administrative needs. Whether it is the SSB, Assam Rifles or the BSF, forces that guard our borders are always the top priority of the Union Home Ministry,” Shah said.He said the government had given the highest priority to the strategically sensitive Siliguri Corridor. It is a 60 km-long stretch of land, no wider than 22 km at its broadest point, bordered by Nepal and Bhutan in the north, Bangladesh in the south, and is not far from the Chinese border.Shah, who is on a two-day visit to West Bengal, is expected to hold a security review meeting on Siliguri Corridor with security personnel on August 22.He further informed the gathering that to make the Siliguri Corridor impregnable, the government had increased vigilance and the deployment of forces. “We have also conducted army exercises such as the Teesta Prahar,” Shah said.“But India needed 560 acres for Siliguri Corridor, which Mamata Banerjee was not giving. Suvendu Adhikari has given us his administrative consent to hand over 560 acres,” the minister said, adding that the Centre wanted to ensure better connectivity for people living in the border areas.Shah went on to claim that Mamata never attended the programmes of the SSB and the BSF. “The SSB, BSF and the ITBP are not agencies of any political party or government. They are forces that protect the borders, all political parties should stand with these personnel,” he said.Later, while inaugurating an exhibition on the three new laws in Siliguri, Shah also attacked the previous TMC dispensation over the implementation of the new criminal laws. He said the three laws had already begun across the country, but the previous West Bengal government had not issued the notifications for the same.Shah added that the Mamata-led government did not allow this to happen because as soon as the new criminal laws were implemented, the empire of syndicates, cut money, toll tax and fear here would have been shattered. “Now after the change of government here the laws are also changing and after 15 years the rule of law will once again be ensured in the state,” he said.Referring to the Centre’s decision to authorise collectors of border districts (including eight districts of West Bengal) for granting citizenship, Shah said that all the refugees would definitely be granted Indian citizenship with dignity. “It is the firm decision of our government in West Bengal that we will identify and expel every single infiltrator from the state,” he added.The minister further informed that to stop cut money and illegal commissions, CM Suvendu Adhikari has started a toll-free number. “Call this number to complain against those demanding cut money. The state government will put those taking cut money behind bars. We have also started a toll-free number here for the syndicate, and we have started a toll-free number for those collecting road tax as well. These three toll-free numbers will uproot and throw away the culture of those taking cut money, syndicate money and toll tax from West Bengal,” the minister said.