He visited temple to influence voters in Bengal, party complains to EC
In a complaint against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Trinamool Congress has alleged that his recent tour of Bangladesh amounts to violation of model code of conduct. No Indian Prime Minister has so brazenly violated the code by indirectly campaigning for his party from foreign soil, the party said in a complaint to Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora.
PM Modi visited Bangladesh to participate in the 50th anniversary of the independence of Bangladesh and the birth centenary of ‘Bangabandhu’ Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on March 26.
TMC Rajya Sabha Parliamentary Party leader Derek O’Brien in the letter said the party has no objection to India’s participation in the official events but the party takes umbrage at the events of March 27, also the date for polling for the first phase of elections in West Bengal. Saturday’s events included a visit to Orakundi, birthplace of Matua sect founder Harichand Thakur. PM Modi also tweeted pictures from the Matua temple and the description was also translated into Bengali. The Matua community, immigrants from Bangladesh, has considerable clout in North 24-Parganas and Nadia, which will vote in the subsequent phases.
These events, the TMC said, had nothing to do with either the 50th anniversary of the independence of Bangladesh 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 Assembly of West Bengal. No Indian Prime Minister has so brazenly indulged in an unethical and undemocratic act, and violated the model code, by indirectly campaigning for his party from foreign soil,” he said.
The TMC pointed out that instead of taking an all-party delegation, PM took Santany Thakur, a BJP MP from West Bengal, for the tour. The party urged the Election Commission to take “deterrent punitive action” against PM Modi for “gross misuse” of his official position to interfere in the election process in West Bengal from foreign soil.
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