NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday urged external affairs minister S Jaishankar to ban West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee from traveling abroad in her official capacity, citing her alleged “anti-India pitch” during her recent visit to the UK.
In a letter to Jaishankar, leader of opposition Suvendu Adhikari accused Banerjee of expressing undue admiration for India’s colonial rulers and bringing “unimaginable shame” to the nation.
“West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who traveled to the UK with permission from the ministry of external affairs, has brought shame to our country, particularly to the people of West Bengal. Her statements have deliberately undermined India on the international stage,” Adhikari wrote.
Adhikari alleged that Banerjee stirred controversy while addressing the UK business community by praising the “British heritage” and describing the 190 years of British rule over India and Bengal as a “blissful passage of time.”
Adhikari further accused Banerjee of undermining India’s achievements during a Q&A session at Kellogg College, Oxford University. When asked about India surpassing the UK as the world’s fifth-largest economy, Banerjee expressed skepticism about India becoming the world’s largest economy by 2060.
“She questioned India’s economic progress on foreign soil, which is simply treasonous,” Adhikari remarked.
Adhikari demanded that Banerjee be barred from future foreign visits in her capacity as West Bengal’s chief minister and called for a thorough investigation into her remarks.
“I request you to conduct a thorough probe into Mamata Banerjee’s anti-India statements in the UK and ensure that such incidents do not recur,” he added.
Banerjee, during her speech at Kellogg College, disagreed with the prediction that India would become the world’s largest economy by 2060, citing global turmoil and post-COVID challenges.
“Every country is facing trouble after COVID-19, and with the ongoing turmoil, how do we expect to gain? We can only hope for progress,” she said.
The event was also briefly disrupted by protesting students who raised concerns about post-poll violence and the RG Kar College rape-murder case.
