Bardhaman (WB), Nov 16 (PTI) A West Bengal MLA has stirred controversy by allegedly asking TMC workers to ensure that only those Bangladeshi immigrants who support the ruling party in the state find a place in the voters’ list.
The draft electoral roll revision is underway in the state along with the rest of the country.
In a purported video that has gone viral on social media, Bardhaman Dakshin MLA Khokan Das is heard saying, “Many new people are coming…they are from Bangladesh. Many of these people vote for BJP based on Hindu sentiments. Please ensure that only those who support our party get place in the voters’ list.” The legislator was addressing a public meeting in Bardhaman town on Tuesday evening.
PTI could not independently verify the authenticity of the video.
Sources said that in the 2021 assembly elections, Das trailed in several wards of Bardhaman town, including in his own area, Kanchannagar-Rathtala, which is populated mainly by people of Bangladesh origin.
However, when the legislator was later asked to clarify his comment, he told reporters, “Illegal Bangladeshi immigrants are entering our area every day. I gave a message to TMC workers that their names should not find a place in the voters’ list.” Reacting to the statement, BJP’s Bardhaman organisational district’s spokesperson Soumyaraj Mukhopadhyay said that instead of doing party politics over the issue, the MLA should inform the Centre and the state government about the illegal immigrants.
“This is why we will implement Citizenship (Amendment) Act,” he said.
TMC’s Purba Bardhaman district spokesperson Prasenjit Das claimed that the MLA’s comments were misconstrued and that the BJP has political intentions behind the implementation of CAA. PTI COR ACD ACD
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