Seal border with Bangladesh: Gadkari

New Delhi: Holding illegal migration as being responsible for the recent ethnic violence in Assam claiming many lives, BJP President Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday demanded that the border with Bangladesh be sealed.

"The Congress has a tie-up with infiltrators from Bangladesh for its vote-bank politics and this is the main problem for the recent violence in Assam," Gadkari alleged.

"They must break this and protect the nation, the people of Assam. It is the duty of the central and state governments," he said while speaking at a discussion on "Bodo Hindus - Refugees in their own land".

He said illegal migration is responsible for the recent ethnic violence in Assam claiming many lives.

Holding the illegal foreign infiltration as the main reason for the violent incidents in Assam, Gadkari appealed to all political parties to stand by the people of Indian origin and throw out the illegal migrants.

"I appeal to all political parties not to link this with vote-bank politics and instead link this with the nation's internal security.... It is not a problem of Hindus versus Muslims, as projected, but a problem between the people of Indian origin and foreign infiltrators," Gadkari said.

The BJP chief also appealed to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to protect the people of Assam from the illegal immigrants from Bangladesh who he alleged were instigating violence, saying he has made many promises for the welfare of Assamese people in the past.

He demanded that the border with Bangladesh be sealed and cited the example of Israel where they have used modern technology to develop such fencing where infiltration is not possible. He also sought identification of illegal immigrants.

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