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BJP defends Goa governor, Maharashtra govt

The Bharatiya Janata Party today defended Goa Governor retired Lt General J F R Jacob for installing the Wilfred de Souza government in the state, saying he went by the book.

Party spokesperson M Venkaiah Naidu described the allegation by both the Congress and Left parties as politically motivated. The Congress, he said, was weakening day by day.

Also defending the Maharashtra government's decision to deport alleged Bangladeshis illegally living in Bombay, Naidu pointed out that the Calcutta high court had ordered the arrest of these people.

He said the Maharashtra government had already announced on Friday that it would welcome anybody who wanted to inquire into the deportation case. "There is nothing to hide as the Bangladeshis were infiltrators," he said.

"We would like to ask the West Bengal government how the population living in the border areas increased by 50 per cent and whether 52 assembly constituencies are being affected by the Bangladeshi population," he asked.

UNI

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