TMC Worker Accused of Dual Voting Rights in India and Bangladesh
Newton Das caught in controversy after photo of Bangladesh protest goes viral; BJP alleges infiltration with TMC backing
A young Trinamool Congress (TMC) worker from West Bengal is facing allegations of holding voting rights in both India and Bangladesh, raising questions about his citizenship.
The controversy surfaced after photos of Newton Das, the accused TMC worker from Namkhana in Kakdwip, South 24 Parganas, went viral. The images, shared by BJP leaders, show him allegedly waving the Bangladeshi flag during the quota movement in Bangladesh last year. His proximity to Debashis Das, the president of the TMC student wing in the Sundarbans region, further fueled the political storm.
In a video posted on social media, Newton defended himself, stating, “I have been an Indian voter since 2014 but lost my EPIC card in 2016. Later, with the help of Kakdwip TMC MLA Monturam Pakhira, I got a duplicate voter ID. My photo went viral calling me Bangladeshi. Yes, my ancestors are from Bangladesh and I own ancestral property there. I visited last year and got caught up in the quota protest.”
Backing him, Debashis Das said, “Newton studied with me in a school in Devnagar, Namkhana. That’s how we know each other.”
However, BJP's Mathurapur organizational district secretary Sanjay Das alleged, “Newton’s name is in the Indian voter list. Yet he was seen protesting in Bangladesh for BNP and Jamaat. These infiltrators live here under TMC's protection.”
The incident has intensified the political war of words between the TMC and BJP ahead of local elections in the state.