West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee led TMC candidate has got a Bangladeshi actor endorsing him for the ongoing general election. Bangladeshi star Ferdous Ahmed was found campaigning for TMC’s Raiganj Lok Sabha candidate Kanhaiya Lal Agarwal in North Dinajpur district.
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West Bengal shares a porous international border with Bangladesh and illegal infiltration from Bangladesh has been a cause of worry for India’s security. TMC candidate Kanhaiya Lal Agarwal said that Ferdous will campaign along with Tollywood actors Payel Sarkar and Ankush. “Today, Ferdous, along with Tollywood actors Payel Sarkar and Ankush, participated in road shows in Raiganj and Hemtabad. On April 15, he will campaign in Karandighi and Islampur. Today, the response was excellent. We are expecting a good crowd on Monday, as well”, said Agarwal.
Agarwal’s elections agent Musharraf Hussain said, “Ferdous is a famous actor in Bangladesh and we requested him to take part in road shows for the Trinamool Congress in the Lok Sabha election. He agreed.”
BJP has strongly objected to this and alleged that this is the violation of the model code of conduct. West Bengal BJP President Dilip Ghosh said that tomorrow Mamata Banerjee could even invite Pakistan PM Imran Khan to campaign for the TMC. “How can an Indian-registered political party engage a foreign national (Ferdous) for political road shows in West Bengal. I have never heard this before. It seems the party doesn’t have an Indian star for canvassing. Tomorrow, Banerjee will invite Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan to campaign for the TMC. We condemn this as a Bangladeshi film star should not be a part of India’s biggest democratic festival”, said Ghosh.
Ghosh alleged that the TMC is trying to lure the Muslim voters which form around 50% of the population in North Dinajpur. “By engaging a Bangladeshi actor, the ruling party is trying to woo the nearly 50% Muslims voters in North Dinajpur. The Trinamool is scared of us and hence, bringing foreign actors here”, he said.