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Karnataka Home Minister G. Parameshwara has stated that Bangladeshi nationals illegally residing in the state will be identified, apprehended and deported to their country.
He added that the Bangladeshi embassy would also be informed in such cases.
Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru on Thursday, Parameshwara said, "If any Bangladeshi national is residing in the state illegally, we will identify them, apprehend them and deport them. Their embassy will be informed. We have done this in many cases earlier."
When asked about the presence of Bangladeshi nationals in the state, Parameshwara said the media should be cautious while framing such questions.
He noted that if it is claimed that Bangladeshi nationals are residing in the state, proof must be provided. He suggested that it would be more appropriate for the media to state that they have received information in this regard.
Responding to Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy's charge that the state Home Minister was "incapable and acting as a rubber stamp", Parameshwara said, "I am a responsible Home Minister, and I will ensure that law and order is maintained in Karnataka. Whatever happens, we will take necessary action within the framework of the law. If Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy has called me a rubber stamp, I thank him. I do not want to comment further on that. However, as a responsible person, he should be mindful before making such statements."
"I have worked with Kumaraswamy when he was the Chief Minister, and I was the Deputy Chief Minister. He knows my capabilities and personality. I do not know why he has made such statements," he said.
Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel H.D. Kumaraswamy on Wednesday criticised Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar for holding a meeting of police officers in Ballari over the violence.
Questioning the authority of the Deputy Chief Minister, Union Minister Kumaraswamy asked who had given him the power to convene such a meeting and whether the state has only a rubber-stamp Home Minister.
"Is there no Home Minister in the state? Is the Home Minister merely a rubber-stamp minister? People should know the truth about the incident," he said.
"Party workers and Congress leaders themselves have lodged complaints before the fact-finding committee against the very MLAs who are accused of causing the incident. Then what will be the fate of your investigation?" he asked.