BJP can't be blamed for Assam situation: Arun Jaitley

BJP leader Arun Jaitley Tuesday justified his party's stand against Bangladeshi infiltrators, adding that it was not the BJP but "political opponents" who caused "polarization" in Assam.

"We in the BJP are accused of benefiting from polarization even if polarization is encouraged by political opponents," Jaitley said in a blog.

The comments come after BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi was blamed for the recent violence between Bodos and Bengali-speaking Muslims in the state.

"Modi's stance against infiltrators is justified and legitimate," Jaitley said, blaming the Congress-led Assam government for encouraging infiltration of Muslims from Bangladesh.

"A section of the Congress leadership in Assam had consciously followed the policy of encouraging infiltration since they wanted to offset the domination of the ethnic Assamese in Assam," Jaitley said.

"The fact that every district in Assam adjacent to the chicken's neck has witnessed a significant demographic change on account of the infiltration is a serious security concern," he said.

The chicken's neck is the narrow Indian territory which connects north-eastern India with the rest of the country.