‘Premature and wrong’: Sanjay Raut sends letter to PM Modi to Trump over Bengal win; BJP hits back

New Delhi: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut US President Donald Trump’s remarks on Friday congratulating Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the BJP’s victory in the West Bengal polls were criticized as “immature and inappropriate” and claimed that the state elections were “an internal matter of India’s federal democracy”.In a post on X tagging Trump, Raut said “any outside support appears premature and wrong” and urged the US president to take a “more informed and balanced view” of the election.“As a member of the Indian Parliament, I am writing in response to reports that you have congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the results of the West Bengal assembly elections. These are state-level elections and are an internal matter of India’s federal democracy,” Raut said.The Lok Sabha MP further claimed that the West Bengal polls were being conducted in an atmosphere of “fear, intimidation and systemic pressure”. He claimed there was a “widespread perception” that the Election Commission of India was acting unfairly and that its operations appeared to favor the BJP, raising questions about the “neutrality of the institution”.“There are allegations of widespread deployment of central forces, which many believe creates intimidation rather than trust. Senior leaders, including Mamata Banerjeepublicly expressed concerns about the fairness of the process,” he wrote.“Democracy is not just about elections, it is about ensuring that elections are free, fair and credible. When serious allegations arise, it deserves scrutiny, not celebration,” Raut added.Earlier this week, the Bharatiya Janata Party secured a more than two-thirds majority in West Bengal assembly elections, ending Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s 15-year rule. The party also retained power in Assam for the third time. A White House spokesman said on Tuesday that Trump congratulated Modi on the BJP’s “historic and decisive” victory.Reacting furiously to Rath’s latest remarks, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla lashed out at Rath, calling him a “clown in Indian politics” and accusing the opposition leader of trying to tarnish India’s global image.“Sanjay Raut is the clown of Indian politics. He and Rahul Gandhi are tarnishing India’s image by resorting to ‘supari’ for domestic political petty quarrels and against Modi, they are turning against the country,” Poonawalla said in a video post on X.He added that India’s democracy was “welcomed across the world” but opposition leaders were spreading “false narratives” during the electoral process.