Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara on Thursday said that the state government has started the process of identifying foreign nationals staying illegally in the state.
"Be it Bangladeshi nationals or African nationals, the government will trace those staying illegally in the state and deport them," he told reporters.
"The government has already identified 123 African nationals staying illegally. The process is on to deport them," he said.
"Without valid documents, no foreign national can stay in the state," he said.
He opposed the demand for statehood for North Karnataka region and said that the bandh by a few organisations turned out to be a flop.
"The government is committed for the development of North Karnataka. The then S M Krishna led Congress government had constituted a committee to understand regional imbalances. Nobody should speak about dividing the state. The Opposition parties should not encourage such efforts," he said.