Vote bank politics responsible for exodus, says BJP

Senior BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday blamed the “votebank politics” of Congress and the UPA government for the exodus of north-eastern people from the city. “It is because of the votebank politics of the Congress and the UPA government that the exodus has happened”, Naidu, a core committee member of the BJP told reporters here. He alleged that the UPA government’s failure to take timely action in Assam after eruption of ethnic violence and also the Maharashtra government to initiate action against those who recently staged a rally in Mumbai “raising provocative pro- Pakistan slogans” had led to panic among the north-eastern people, resulting in their exodus.

“Rumour mongering, mischievous SMS and social media network” added to the panic, he said. Naidu pointed out that the trouble had first started in Congress ruled states Pune (Maharashtra)and Hyderabad (Andhra Pradesh) and then ‘percolated’ to Bangalore and Chennai.

He warned Congress not make “such cheap allegations as it would only boomerang” against them.