Guwahati, Sept. 25: The Assam government today urged the Centre to undertake a special programme for issuing voter identity cards in the entire state to check infiltration of illegal migrants.

Raising this demand at a news conference here this morning, chief minister Tarun Gogoi said a pilot project for issuing identity cards in border districts has failed. The Centre, therefore, should think up a fresh programme, he added.

Holding the Centre responsible for the influx of illegal migrants from across the Indo-Bangladesh border, the chief minister said the responsibility of checking infiltration rests with Delhi and Dispur’s job starts only after an illegal migrant enters the state through the border.

He alleged that the Centre has failed to take any initiative to bolster the strength of the BSF and reducing the distance between two border posts despite repeated reminders by the state government.

The chief minister also ridiculed NCP leader P.A. Sangma for raising the infiltration issue and demand the scrapping of the Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunal) Act. He claimed that as a Congress leader, Sangma was a party to the enactment of the IM(DT) Act and never opposed it.

Dubbing the Sangma-backed North East People’s Forum, a B-team of the BJP, Gogoi said the NCP leader should join that party.

Gogoi did not spare Trinamul Congress leader Mamata Banerjee either. Accusing the politician from West Bengal of distinguishing infiltrators on the basis of religion, the chief minister asked, “How can the people of Assam expect Mamata Banerjee to do something good for the state when the Northeast did not get a single project while she was railway minister?”