Centre's vote bank politics responsible for northeast strife: BJP

INDORE: Blaming Center for violence in Assam and subsequent exodus of northeastern people from various parts of the country to their home states, BJP today said that Congress' "vote bank" politics was "weakening" the country.

"Illegal Bangladeshi immigrants are crossing over to India in large numbers. At the same time, the people from northeast settled in various parts of the country for employment have to flee to their home states," the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley told a BJP rally here.

"This grim situation is the fallout of Congress' vote bank politics which is weakening the country. The illegal Bangladeshi immigrants are responsible for creating tension in the country by fighting with the locals," the senior BJP leader alleged.

As per the 2001 Census, the number of illegal settlers from Bangladesh is 71 percent of the total population in Dhubri district of Assam alone, he said, adding the number could go up once the 2011 data is out.