Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday flayed West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee for allowing people from the “neighbouring country” to campaign for the Trinamool Congress in the state.

“It is shameful that people from the neighbouring country are campaigning for the TMC. This was done by the party to appease the minority community,” Modi said.

Ferdous Ahmed, a Bangladeshi film actor, joined Trinamool rallies in Raiganj (West Bengal) on Sunday and Monday (Apr 14 and 15) and solicited votes for the party’s candidate in the constituency Kanaia Lal Agarwal.

Opposition parties in West Bengal, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), had protested his appearance.

Facing huge criticism from politicians and actions by authorities, Bangladeshi actor Ferdous Ahmed has apologised for “inadvertently” joining the election campaign of a Trinamool Congress candidate in India’s West Bengal.

India on Tuesday revoked his visa and blacklisted him for joining election campaign in the country despite being a foreign national.