Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar today said that the state has begun identifying illegal Bangladeshi immigrants for deportation. His remarks come in the wake of an attack on Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan, and the subsequent revelation about the accused being an illegal Bangladeshi immigrant.

“This issue has risen in many parts of the country, especially Mumbai, Pune, Kolkata and Delhi. We have started locating such people to deport them. The accused in Saif Ali Khan case is also a Bangladeshi,” he stated.

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Saif was stabbed multiple times by the Bangladeshi intruder at his Bandra home in Mumbai on January 16. The attack also brought the issue of illegal immigrants, especially from Bangladesh, in the forefront and sparked a political debate.

However, National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah has questioned the logic of linking the crime to a nation.

“If someone has come and attacked Saif Ali Khan, you can’t blame a nation for one man’s doing…How can you put one person who does something on the nation? If an Indian does something bad in the UK, will you blame India for it? It’s that man, not the nation…How many illegal Indians are in America? President Trump has just given the figures. What would you call that?” Abdullah remarked.

However, BJP leader and former Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar was quick to criticise Abdullah’s remarks and called for zero tolerance approach towards illegal immigration.

“He is absolutely wrong. The issue is not about Bangladesh or any other nation, it is about illegal immigration that is allowed in this country by a politics of appeasement… Crime is bad and the law of the land should take its course but when illegal immigration fuels crime, then that is an issue which should be debated nationally… We should have a zero-tolerance approach towards illegal immigration,” he remarked.

The issue of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants was also raised by the BJP in Delhi where elections are due next month. The saffron party has also targetted the AAP governmentin the national capital, alleging that one of its MLA was linked to a Bangladeshi infiltration racket.

However, the AAP argued that border security is the responsibility of the Central government and that Union Home Minister Amit Shah must be held responsible if Bangladeshis and Rohingyas enter the country after crossing the border illegally.