BJP MLA Raj Purohit on Wednesday demanded that Bangladeshi nationals staying illegally in the city be identified, and deported on the pattern of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) exercise carried out in Assam.

The Colaba MLA has written a letter to the district collector (city) Shivaji Jondhale in this regard. He said Bangladeshi nationals could settle in Mumbai illegally due to "blessings" of local politicians. He alleged the politicians have protected the Bangladeshi "infiltrators" by recommending their names for ration card, Aadhar card, voter ID etc.