West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee working president P R Dasmunshi said that the PCC had sent a fax message to Sonia Gandhi, expressing its serious concern at the BJP-Shiv Sena government's decision to deport those people.Stating that Congress was ``serious'' on the issue, Dasmunshi urged the West Bengal government to extend ``political support'' to the victims ``instead of confining itself to lend legal assistance to them''.

Meanwhile, the Minority Council today urged President K R Narayanan to direct the government to deport the ``infiltrators'' into their country and requested him to stop `harassing' a section of people in Maharashtra.

In a joint statement here Council president Shahanshah Jehangir and general secretary Najmul Huda said the Maharashtragovernment should desist from ``idle deportation'' of some people working in that State. He said the State government's step was ``condemnable'' and thanked the West Bengal government and both the Left Front and Opposition Congress for coming out openly in support of those who had been deported from Maharashtra.