Bongaon (WB): West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Tuesday accused the BJP-led Centre of attempting “political sabotage” after she was forced to cancel her helicopter ride to Bongaon, even as officials said the designated aircraft could not fly due to expired licence and insurance lapses.
Banerjee, who eventually travelled by road to the Matua heartland amid panic over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, said she was informed at 10 am that the hired helicopter “would not fly”, barely two hours before her scheduled landing at 12.30 pm.
“I apologise for being late. I have not used helicopter for seven or eight months. But this morning at around 10 am, just before leaving home, I was informed that the chopper cannot fly. Elections are yet to begin, but confrontation has started,” she told a massive gathering in North 24 Parganas district without naming anyone.
Sharpening her attack on the BJP, the TMC supremo said, “Don’t play games with me. When I play my game, you will have no clue. You won’t be able to fight and defeat me politically. I cannot be cornered.”
Banerjee, who later travelled by car, said the road journey turned into an impromptu public outreach.
“On the way, I met so many people. What better way to reach out?” she said, turning the disruption into a campaign pitch.
The BJP dismissed the chief minister’s allegations of sabotage.
“The charges are laughable,” state BJP president Samik Bhattacharya said. “If authorities decided the helicopter cannot fly, there must be valid reasons. She must stop politicising everything,” he said.
Meanwhile, senior bureaucrats described the incident as a serious procedural lapse. Officials said the helicopter, unused by the chief minister for nearly six months, completed its mandated trial flight Monday, but its expired licence and lapsed insurance were not detected during checks.
“The licence expiry should have been flagged immediately. Allowing the trial flight without verifying documents is unacceptable. The lapse in the licence, however, was not reported during the check. The issue came to light early Tuesday,” the official said.
Sources said that the chief minister was visibly displeased.
“This kind of negligence cannot be tolerated, especially in matters involving VVIP movement. She (CM) has asked for a full explanation,” the official at the Chief Minister’s Office said.
An inquiry has been initiated to determine how the oversight occurred and why it was not communicated in advance.
PTI
