Mamata accuses Modi of ‘vote marketing’ in Bangladesh

Online Desk: West  Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of violating the election code of conduct by addressing people in Bangladesh, where he is on a two-day visit, saying people in her state and Assam are still voting for the assembly elections.

“Elections are underway here and he [PM] goes to Bangladesh and lectures on Bengal. It is a total violation of code of conduct of the election,” Banerjee said in Kharagpur, according to news agency ANI.

Phase one of polling in West Bengal and Assam is being held on Saturday. In this phase, in West Bengal, more than 73 lakh voters will decide the fate of 191 candidates across 30 assembly segments — nine in Purulia, four in Bankura, four in Jhargram, six in Paschim Medinipur, and seven in Purba Medinipur.

CM Banerjee also spoke about Bangladeshi actor Ghazi Abdul Noor who attended a rally organised by her Trinamool Congress in 2019 and was served a ‘Leave India’ notice for allegedly campaigning for the party in violation of the poll code.

“In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, when a Bangladeshi actor attended our rally, the BJP spoke to the Bangladesh government and cancelled his visa. When polls are underway here, you [PM] go to Bangladesh to seek votes from one section of people, why shouldn’t your visa be cancelled? We will complain to EC,” she said.

Sharpening her attack, the chief minister also accused PM Modi of ‘vote marketing’ in Bangladesh. “Sometimes they say Mamata has brought people from Bangladesh and aided in infiltration. But he [PM] himself goes to Bangladesh for vote marketing,” she said.

Meanwhile, PM Modi, as part of his visit to the neighbouring country, visited Orakandi village to pay tributes to the founder of the Matua community, Harichand Thakur. On meeting the community, he said he felt the same emotions as felt by Matua community members in India. Matuas are a Hindu community spread across in West Bengal.

“I was speaking to some people here. They were saying who could have thought that India’s Prime Minister would visit Orakandi. I am feeling the same emotions my Matua brothers and sisters in India feel coming to Orakandi,” PM Modi said after meeting them.

The Bharatiya Janata Party, which has said it will win over 200 of the 294 seats in West Bengal, has not reacted to Banerjee’s charges.