TMC MP Mahua Moitra's post on Bangladesh poll official's arrest triggers political row

Kolkata, Nov 19 (PTI) TMC MP Mahua Moitra on Wednesday sparked a row after posting an old photo of Bangladesh's former Election Commissioner being taken away by security personnel with the caption "Things to come", a remark seen as a veiled warning to India's EC amid opposition charges of its alleged BJP bias.

The post, originally an old image linked to the arrest of the Bangladesh poll official in an election-manipulation case after the fall of the Awami League government following student protests, triggered sharp reactions from the saffron camp, accusing the Krishnanagar MP of hinting at a "Dhaka-style" arrest of the ECI chief.

Shared on X, Moitra's framing of the image as a sign of "things to come" came at a time when her party TMC and the INDIA bloc have mounted a sustained attack on the Election Commission of India, alleging that the poll panel head is "colluding with the ruling BJP to rig upcoming elections".

The BJP swiftly hit back, claiming the TMC leader had issued an "open threat" to a constitutional authority and was indulging in "fear-mongering" amid the SIR (Special Intensive Revision) exercise and ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections.

Party leaders accused Moitra of "attempting to import Bangladesh-style chaos into Indian politics" and demanded that the Election Commission take cognisance of what they termed an "incitement to undermine public trust in the democratic process".

"The TMC has been engaged in fear-mongering over SIR. The EC must take cognisance of such a provocative and demeaning post. It is an irony that a person who lost her MPship after being accused of corruption is pointing fingers at others," senior BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari said.

Moitra was expelled from the Lok Sabha in December 2023 in the ‘cash-for-query’ case. She, however, returned to the Lower House of Parliament after winning from the same Krishnanagar seat next year.

Senior TMC leaders defended Moitra, arguing that her post highlighted the "erosion of institutional neutrality" under the BJP-led government and the growing public concern over electoral transparency.

There was no immediate reaction from the Election Commission. PTI PNT NN