West Bengal Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari wrote to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday, urging him to prevent Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee from travelling abroad in the future “to ensure she does not get the opportunity to undermine India on foreign soil”.

After completing a six-day London visit, Banerjee is set to return to Kolkata on Saturday.

In his letter, Adhikari accused Banerjee of undermining India on the international stage and bringing shame to the country during her UK visit. Referring to Banerjee’s speech at a business event where she spoke about West Bengal’s “emotional” and “historical relations” with the UK, Adhikari said that the state had been at the forefront of the Independence movement, resisting British rule.

“Bengalis fought the British Raj tooth and nail, stood up to their political oppression, and laid down (their) lives opposing their cruelty. The British were forced to shift their capital from Calcutta to Delhi because they were concerned about the rising nationalist movement in Bengal and wanted to steer clear of the growing political unrest. Singing paeans for the subjugators known best for their tyranny and economic exploitation of India is like public renouncement of the sacrifices made by our freedom revolutionaries,” Adhikari said.

Adhikari also criticised Banerjee for her statements at Oxford University’s Kellogg College, where she allegedly “downplayed” India’s economic growth. As one of the speakers highlighted that India had overtaken the UK as the world’s fifth-largest economy and was projected to become the largest economy by 2060, Banerjee disagreed.

Adhikari alleged that her response was an “embarrassment for every Bengali and Indian”. He alleged that Banerjee had “deliberately tarnished India’s reputation on foreign soil” and accused her of “opposing the country’s economic rise”.

“Banerjee has a problem with India becoming the world’s largest economy. This is not only shameful but a disgrace to the constitutional office she holds,” Adhikari said, urging the external affairs ministry to conduct a “thorough probe” into her remarks.

“As you are the custodian who has control over the matter, it becomes your responsibility to ensure that she does not get the opportunity in the future to undermine India on foreign soil. I hope you will consider my request and conduct a thorough probe to ascertain the anti-India pitch made by Banerjee in the UK and make sure that it is not repeated in the future,” Adhikari said in the letter.