Close on the heels of the Ferdous Ahmed debacle, Trinamool Congress has hit back against the BJP. The famous pro wrestler The Great Khali, who campaigned for BJP candidate Anupam Hazra in West Bengal's Jadavpur, is a US citizen and should not campaign in an Indian election, the party claimed, reported ANI. "He [Khali] holds US citizenship. A foreigner shouldn't be allowed to influence the minds of Indian electors," TMC wrote to the Election Commission. Dalip Singh Rana aka The Great Khali had gained worldwide popularity, when, as a part of the WWE show, he beat up the iconic Undertaker.
TMC writes to Election Commission of India over wrestler The Great Khali campaigning for BJP's Jadavpur MP candidate,Anupam Hazra on April 26. The letter states, 'He(Khali) holds US citizenship, therefore,a foreigner shouldn't be allowed to influence the minds of Indian electors' pic.twitter.com/DIOKzVjkcu
— ANI (@ANI) April 28, 2019
Earlier, the BJP had seen red over Bangladeshi actor Ahmed’s participation in the Lok Sabha election campaign. The TMC was using a “foreign national” for campaigning in the “domestic” election process, the party claimed. The BJP versus TMC fight landed at the doorstep of the home ministry, which sought a report from the bureau of immigration regarding any visa violations committed by Ahmed.
After receiving a report from the bureau of immigration on the visa violations, the MHA has cancelled his business visa and issued him notice to leave India. He has also been blacklisted. The Foreign Regional Registration Office (FRRO) in Kolkata has been directed to ensure compliance of these orders.