Guwahati, Sept. 28: Bangladeshi migrants were behind yesterday’s blast in Mehrauli, alleged leader of the Opposition L.K. Advani at a rally today, linking the terrorist attack in the national capital with influx in Assam.

“I was told that yesterday’s blast was different from the previous ones in Delhi or Ahmedabad, as Bangladeshi migrants were reportedly involved in it,” Advani told supporters at Sonaram field in the city.

The BJP leader’s statement comes two days after the army in Dhubri gunned down seven suspected Huji activists who bore identity cards of a Bangladeshi party.

The seven allegedly were to carry out a series of attacks in Guwahati.

Bangladeshi migrants cross over to India following orders from Pakistan’s ISI, said Advani, who arrived here three days after a Shillong law student sent out an e-mail in the name of Indian Mujahideen, threatening an attack on him during his visit to the Meghalaya capital on September 29.

Since the migrants were a threat to national security, influx was no longer Assam’s problem alone, he said.

“The influx must also stop to preserve the identity of Assam.”

The BJP’s prime ministerial candidate, however, was quick to clarify that his tirade against Bangladeshis should not be perceived as an anti-Muslim campaign.

“Indigenous Muslims should not be apprehensive about the campaign against Bangladeshis. Nobody is going to harm them in their own state,” he said.

Though he made it apparent that his party would not toe the strong Hindutva line in its election campaign, Advani threw a series of jabs at the Congress about Islamic fundamentalist groups and the Amarnath shrine board issue.

The BJP leader even announced that if NDA government was voted to power, it would create a separate department in the tourism ministry for pilgrimage.

He even likened the uprising in Jammu as the biggest post-Independence mass movement after AASU’s war on illegal migrants.

The BJP leader also flayed the Congress government for not doing enough to ensure a world heritage tag for Majuli, the seat of Vaisnavite culture and tradition.

“It was the NDA government, which had initiated the move to accord Unesco’s world heritage status to the river island, so that it can be protected from erosion. But it was not properly followed up by the next government,” he said.

Advani’s next target was the slow progress of the East-West corridor, another NDA initiative.

“Issuance of the multipurpose photo-identity card to every citizen of this country to prevent influx of illegal migrants was another initiative taken by the NDA, which was not properly followed up by this government,” he said.