Sonia vows to clamp down on illegal Bangladeshi immigrants

INDIA: Sonia Gandhi, the leader of India's governing coalition, vowed to clamp down on illegal migrants from neighbouring Bangladesh.

Gandhi, touring the northeastern state of Assam to campaign for her Congress party in local elections, promised strong steps against the immigrants.

"Illegal migrants will be detected and deported as per law," Gandhi said at an election rally in Nagaon, 120 kilometers (75 miles) east of Gauhati, Assam's capital.

"But I want to assure all of you that my party would make sure no genuine Indian citizen will be harassed in the name of foreigner detection," she said.

India shares a 4,000-kilometer (2,500-mile) -long, twisted and porous border with Bangladesh. Gandhi was responding to complaints from locals who fear they could soon be outnumbered by Bangladeshis.

Indian authorities are building a floodlit fence along the border and have completed a 2,000-kilometer (1,240-mile) stretch, mainly to keep out job-seeking immigrants.

However, the fence is also aimed at alleviating concerns that Islamic militants based in predominantly Muslim Bangladesh could sneak across into largely Hindu India.

GAUHATI, Friday AP