LUCKNOW, Dec. 9 -- The Congress party on Monday demanded that mayor Sushma Kharkwal should apologise after she allegedly called Assamese residents in Lucknow "Bangladeshis" and "Rohingyas," drawing criticism from the city's Assamese community.

Shahnawaz Alam, Congress national secretary, said, "Lucknow mayor Sushma Kharkwal, who called them Bangladeshis and Rohingyas because they speak Assamese, should apologise to the Assamese people living in Lucknow. Assam is a part of India, hence Assamese can live anywhere in the country."

Shahzad Alam, president of Congress Lucknow City South, added, "If Assamese-speaking people are driven out of Uttar Pradesh, extremist organisations like the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) may again resor...