PM Modi's passport, visa must be cancelled for seeking vote in foreign country, demands Mamata Banerjee

Firing a fresh salvo at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday asked why should Modi’s visa and passport not be rejected for seeking the vote of a particular community while visiting Bangladesh?

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo also said that her party will lodge a complaint to the Election Commission (EC) against Modi over the issue.

Read | Why PM Modi is reaching out to Matua community in Bangladesh

The Chief Minister was referring to Modi’s visit to a temple at Orakandi in Gopalganj in Bangladesh which is considered to be the holiest pilgrims of the Matua community, Dalit Hindus migrated to West Bengal in large numbers from then East Pakistan (modern-day Bangladesh) after Partisan.

With a population of about 3 crore they are a formidable vote base for any party.

“Why are you (Modi) in Bangladesh when Assembly elections are going on in West Bengal. If you go to Bangladesh to seek the votes of a particular community then why should not your visa and passport be cancelled? We will complain to the EC in this regard,” said Mamata.

Read | Activists of BJP, TMC clash in Nandigram, three injured

She also said that while the BJP accuses her of bringing in infiltrators into West Bengal from Bangladesh but now they are resorting to a “marketing drive” in Bangladesh.

“We want to know who is right and who is wrong. Otherwise, we will see till the end of this,” said Mamata. She was speaking at a rally in Kharagpur in the West Medinipur district.

Referring to the cancellation of Bangladeshi actor Ferdous Ahmed during the last Lok Sabha elections, the TMC supremo said, “a Bangladeshi film star Ferdous participated in one of our rallies. After coming to power BJP ensured that his visa got cancelled. But what will happen if the Prime Minister spoke about votes in a foreign country when the notification for the Assembly elections are already issued?”

Read | Mamata Banerjee asks Bengal women voters to confront BJP-hired goons with 'ladle, spatula'

“Every rule is relaxed for you. But for others it's totally different,” said Mamata. She also questioned Modi’s presence in the ‘Howdy Modi’ event in 2019 in the US.

Earlier in the day, the Chief Minister dubbed her former lieutenant and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari and his family as “traitors” and accused them of trying to influence voters by distributing money. She urged women voters to confront goons with ladle and spatula if they try to prevent them from voting.

She further alleged that during the day at one polling booth votes were going to BJP even if people were voting for the TMC.