Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi today hit back at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's criticism of his visit to temples in Satkhira and Gopalganj during his Bangladesh trip on March 27 as "unethical and violative" of the election model code of conduct and defended his trips to the shrines.

"I am not one to pay respect at temples seasonally. I always take pride in our faith and tradition," said Modi while addressing an election rally of the upcoming West Bengal Legislative Assembly election at Jainagar of South 24 Pargana, reports our New Delhi correspondent.

This was the first time Modi commented on Trinamool Congress' attack on his visits to the Matua shrine at Orakandi, Gopalganj and Jashoreshwari Kali temple in Satkhira.

On March 28, the Mamata-led party wrote a letter to the Indian Election Commission alleging Modi's recent visit to Bangladesh violated the model code of conduct in place for the West Bengal Assembly polls and some of his programmes there "intended to influence the voting pattern" in certain constituencies of the state.

The Trinamool Congress letter said, "It had no objection to his visit to Bangladesh for 50 years of the country's liberation, the party strongly objected to his programmes on March 27 because these had nothing to do with either the golden jubilee celebration of Bangladesh or the birth centenary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman."

Parts of West Bengal today exercised their franchise in the second round of eight-phase polling in assembly elections.

Modi also took a jibe at Mamata's letter yesterday to various opposition leaders calling for a united fight against the BJP and said she "calls everyone outsider, now she is appealing to them."