Bangladeshi movie star Anju Ghosh joins Modi’s BJP in West Bengal

Bangladeshi film actress Anju Ghosh has joined Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, or BJP, in West Bengal.

It comes about two months after Bangladeshi actors’ presence in Indian election campaign raised questions.

The actress, who played ‘Josna’ in the 1989 blockbuster ‘Beder Meye Josna’, said to be the highest grossing film in Dhallywood, has been living in West Bengal for a long time.

West Bengal BJP President Dilip Ghosh handed a party flag to her at the state BJP headquarters in Kolkata on Wednesday, according to The Indian Express newspaper.

“Today popular film actress Anju Ghosh is joining our party. She has been wanting to join BJP for a long time. Today we have got the real Beder Meye Josna and we are happy to have her in our party,” Dilip was quoted as saying in the report.

The BJP's West Bengal chapter also broadcast the event live on Facebook.

The actress said she was happy to be a member of the BJP, according to the newspaper.

The 63-year-old, who has not starred in any film for quite a long time, is living in Salt Lake, The Indian Express said.

ANI news agency said the Bangladeshi actress declined comment when she was asked about her present citizenship.

After receiving lifetime membership from Bangladesh Film Artiste Association at an event in Dhaka in September last year, Anju said she would return to Bangladesh.

“I must return. Because I am hearing good news as well as news about bad condition of the industry,” she had said at the awards ceremony.

In April as India’s election was building up, a major political row started when Bangladeshi actor Ferdous Ahmed joined the election campaign of a candidate of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress.

Facing huge criticism from politicians and actions by authorities, Ferdous apologised for “inadvertently” joining the campaign.

India had cancelled his visa and blacklisted him for joining election campaign in the country despite being a foreign national.

The rivals of Mamata party, especially the BJP, criticised Ferdous sharply after videos and photos of him in the campaign emerged.