Kolkata: The West Bengal government on Sunday denied permission for Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath's helicopter to land in the state ahead of a poll rally.
Adityanath’s helicopter was to land at Balurghat in North Dinajpur near Malda, where he was to address a rally at 10:30 am, but it was not allowed. The permission request was pending for the last three days. Angry BJP workers surrounded the district magistrate’s house in protest.
The UP CM’s office said the permission for CM Adityanath's rally was also declined by the West Bengal government without any prior notice. Mritunjay Kumar, information advisor to CM Adityanath, blamed West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee.
"Due to the popularity of UP CM, Mamata Banerjee did not give permission to land the helicopter," he said.
Earlier, the West Bengal government had denied permission for the BJP president Amit Shah's chopper to land in Malda district. He eventually held a rally there on Tuesday.
In its defence, the Malda district administration stated that it was not possible to grant permission to land VVIP helicopters that week owing to construction work.
Bengal is crucial in the BJP’s plan for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and the party has set itself a target of 22 seats in the state. The party which currently holds two seats in the state, has been bolstered with a number of senior Trinamool Congress leaders joining it.
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