BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari on Friday appealed to NRIs and overseas students from Bengal to return to the state and vote in this year’s Assembly elections to “save Bengal”.
The leader of the Opposition also urged those working in other states of the country to return to vote for his party’s candidates. He also made a specific appeal to “Hindu” voters, warning that Bengal faced the threat of becoming a “Greater Bangladesh”.
“I request those who are abroad for studies or work to return during the elections. Those who are in other states should return, too. Let there be some financial cost, but let Bengal survive. Let the nation be strong,” Suvendu said.
Suvendu said that unless the nation was strong, it could well face a situation similar to that of Ukraine, 7 million of whose people had fled to Poland overnight after the Russian invasion.
“After seeing what happened in Pahalgam, if you do not go to the polling booths in this election to form a nationalist and patriotic government, Bengal’s condition will become the same in the coming days,” the Nandigram MLA said.
“It will turn into a Greater Bangladesh and fall into the hands of Jamaat forces.”
Suvendu visited several Saraswati Puja pandals in Bhowanipore, chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s constituency.
A source in the BJP said Suvendu’s appeal was based on the perception that most people from Bengal who live abroad are supporters of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and critics of the Trinamool government.
“Most of these NRIs are believed to be from Calcutta and other urban pockets of the state,” a senior BJP leader said.
“If they return and vote, they can change the outcomes at many seats in Calcutta and other urban areas.”
While appealing to the NRIs, Suvendu said: “We know what you will do if you go to the polling booths.”
External affairs ministry data show that 15.8 million NRIs live in 209 foreign countries, but give no state-wise break-up. Rough estimates suggest that around 1.5 million to 2 million people from Bengal live in over 50 foreign countries.
During his Bengal visit at the end of last year, Union home minister Amit Shah had met party ranks in Calcutta and stressed the importance of winning seats from the city. He claimed that Calcutta was “not safe from infiltrators”.
The BJP is also keen on winning seats from other urban areas such as Siliguri, Durgapur and Santiniketan (Bolpur), all of which account for sizeable numbers of NRIs.
However, there are no statistics on how many of the NRIs continue to have voting rights in India. The longer a voter has been living abroad, the likelier they are to have their name deleted from the rolls during one of the yearly summary revisions, when limited door-to-door surveys tend to be done.
Political scientist Biswanath Chakraborty, who recently attended a two-day international conference organised by the Election Commission in Delhi, said Suvendu’s appeal had a point since many of those living abroad were staunch critics of Mamata’s style of governance.
“During the conference, we raised the question why NRIs cannot cast postal ballots,” Chakraborty said.
“In countries like Belgium and Germany, citizens living abroad are allowed to vote from their workplaces or academic institutions. If the Election Commission considers this, it would be a great help to those living abroad.”
Representatives from 70 countries involved in election work participated in the conference, titled “Democracy for an Inclusive, Peaceful, Resilient and Sustainable World”.
A BJP leader said it would be a masterstroke if the poll panel introduces postal ballots or an e-voting system for NRIs for the Bengal Assembly elections. So far, there’s been no indication from the Election Commission about any such measure.
“If even half the NRIs vote from their workplaces, it would be a great boost for the BJP,” the politician said, mindful that not many NRIs or students can afford a trip back to India just to vote.
Suvendu urged Hindus in the state to vote in large numbers.
“Hindus should not treat polling day as a holiday. They must cast their votes. In Maharashtra, a five per cent increase in voter turnout brought about a revolution. In Delhi, a 10 per cent higher turnout led to a revolution,” he said.
Trinamool dismissed the BJP’s logic, saying educated NRIs from Bengal would not vote for a party that promotes division and has caused much suffering to the people of Bengal.
“Suvendu Adhikari and the BJP should not forget that those working abroad have not been educated in their ‘WhatsApp University’,” Trinamool spokesperson Arup Chakraborty said.
“They are properly educated and cannot support the BJP. They will certainly come during the elections to vote against the BJP.”