India Revokes Visa Of Bangladeshi Actor Ferdous Ahmed After He Was Caught Campaigning For Trinamool In Border Area Of WB 

The Union Home Ministry has cancelled the business visa of Bangladeshi actor Ferdous Ahmed and ordered him a leave India notice, All India Radio reported.

Quoting sources in the Ministry, the report said that the decision was taken after receiving a report from the Bureau of Immigration regarding visa violations committed by him. The Ministry has also decided to blacklist Ahmed.

"He also has been blacklisted. FRRO (Foreigners Regional Registration Office) Kolkata has been directed to ensure compliance of these orders," a senior bureaucrat in the ministry said. The FRRO is responsible for providing visa services to all foreigners.

Ahmed is said to be come to India on a business visa

The Deputy High Commission for Bangladesh also advised him not to take part in the election campaign in India and return to his country.

Ahmed was on Sunday (Apr 14) seen campaigning for TMC candidate Kanhaiyalal Agarwal in Raigunj constituency in in West Bengal's North Dinajpur district . He was accompanied by Bengali Tollywood actors Ankush Hazra and Payel Sarkar. The constituency is in close proximity to Indo-Bangladesh border.

According to reports in local media, the three actors along with the TMC candidate participated in a road show from Karandighi to Islampur.

Ahmed reportedly addressed the gathering and exhorted everyone to vote for the “Trinamool Congress and Didi (Mamata Banerjee)”.

The West Bengal unit of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders on Tuesday (Apr 16) met Election Commission officials in Kolkata to complain against the participation of Bangladeshi actor Ferdous in the electioneering of the Trinamool Congress (TMC).

In its complaint, the BJP said that Ferdous’ participation is a violation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC).

Criticising the TMC for deploying a foreigner for its campaign, BJP Bengal chief Dilip Ghosh asked if Banerjee will now get Pakistani PM to campaign for her party.

“Tomorrow, Banerjee will invite Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan to campaign for the TMC,” he said.

BJP leader Pratap Banerjee said that the decision to include Ferdous in the campaign process shows “Trinamool Congress’ love for Bangladeshis”. He reportedly said that the party wants to consolidate minority votes in Raigunj.

Many Bengali actors have been roped in by TMC either as star campaign or as candidates in the previous elections. However a mere two faces from the Bengali film industry being fielded this time is in stark contrast to the past when the Trinamool chief would give party tickets to many more actors. The only two indulgences Mamata Banerjee allowed herself this time were Bengali actors Nusrat Jahan and Mimi Chakraborty.