Hemant Soren Steps In After Clearance Delay For Abhishek Banerjee's Chopper

Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee reached Rampurhat in Bengal's Birbhum later than scheduled for a public rally on Tuesday, after flight clearance for his helicopter was delayed.

The Diamond Harbour MP was also scheduled to offer prayers at the Tarapith Kali temple and meet Birbhum migrant Sunali Khatun, who recently gave birth to a boy after being pushed back to Bangladesh by the Delhi Police. Banerjee was finally able to take off from the Behala Flying Club airstrip in the western fringes of Kolkata after securing an aircraft belonging to Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, as the mandatory DGCA permission for his own helicopter did not arrive in time.

Sources in the Trinamool said that the party reached out to Soren and requested his chopper to facilitate Banerjee's travel to Birbhum, located approximately 200 km from Kolkata. Hemant Soren dispatched his aircraft to Behala, and after securing the necessary clearances, Banerjee took off following a one-hour delay.

The Trinamool Congress alleged a "BJP conspiracy" behind the administrative hurdle. TMC MP Samirul Islam claimed that the BJP, unsettled by Banerjee's public outreach yatra-'Abar Jitbe Bangla' (Bengal will win again)-was "misusing" the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to create obstacles.

"Lakhs have gathered to see Abhishek Banerjee, and that has scared the BJP. Hence, they are creating obstacles for the TMC. But despite that, Abhishek Banerjee will meet the people who are waiting for him," Islam said.

This incident highlights that Abhishek Banerjee keeps his word, a Trinamool source said. "While PM Modi returned to New Delhi after an audio address to the Matuas from the Kolkata airport after his chopper couldn't fly due to dense fog, Abhishek borrowed a chopper to reach the people of Birbhum," the source added.