The Trinamool Congress led by Mamata Banerjee has vehemently opposed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s two-day visit to Bangladesh when Assembly elections are being held in West Bengal. The TMC has written a letter to the Election Commission of India alleging PM’s tour as a ‘gross violation of democratic ethics’ and one that was intended to ‘influence the voting pattern.’
In its complaint with the EC, the TMC flagged that PM Modi’s Bangladesh visit violated the code of conduct model in West Bengal Assembly elections. Some of his programmes there “intended to influence the voting pattern” in evident voters of the state.
PM Modi’s Bangladesh visit from March 26 to 27 to attend the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the country’s independence and ‘Bangabandhu’ Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s birth centenary, following an invitation from his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina.
The complaint stated that the party had no objection to PM’s visit to Bangladesh for official cause “After all, India played a critical role in the liberation of Bangladesh and West Bengal. In particular, it made an immense contribution to the heroic struggle of our fellow Bengalis in East Pakistan for freedom from the brutal regime in West Pakistan.”
“However, All India Trinamool Congress strongly objects to Shri Modi’s programmes in Bangladesh on March 27. These had nothing to do with the 50th anniversary of Bangladesh’s independence or the birth centenary of ‘Bangabandhu’. Rather, they were solely and exclusively intended to influence the voting pattern in certain constituencies in the ongoing elections to the Legislative Assembly of West Bengal,” the complaint by TMC Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien stated.
The letter dated March 28 and released on Tuesday further added that “No Indian Prime Minister has so brazenly indulged in an unethical and undemocratic act and violated the Model Code of Conduct by indirectly campaigning for his party from foreign soil.”
The TMC leader further accused that Modi’s political motive behind the visit is proven by the fact that he took BJP MP from West Bengal Santanu Thakur along with him, who holds no official position in the government of India.
The TMC has demanded that the Election Commission of India take punitive deterrent action against him and rebuke him so that he dares not repeat such misconduct in the future.
(With PTI inputs)
