West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday accused the BJP-led Centre, albeit without directly naming them, of attempting a "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 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 a 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 confrontations have already started," she told a massive gathering in North 24 Parganas district.
State Transport minister Snehasish Chakraborty, however, blamed the helicopter service provider for the procedural lapse and said the company concerned failed to rectify the error on time on account of time zone differences with London, the city where the insurance company is based.
"We signed a three-year contract agreement with the helicopter service provider in 2021, which was later extended by a period of another two years. The agreement unambiguously stated that the company must provide us with airworthy helicopters whenever we required them," Chakraborty told PTI.
"It has come to our notice that the insurance cover was due for expiry on Monday, and the company has applied for a renewal. Since the insurance company operates out of London, they failed to deliver the renewed papers on time on account of the gap in time zone," the minister added.
Chakraborty said that mandatory insurance of the chopper has now been renewed and that the state received the necessary documents at around 1.30 pm on Tuesday.
"By that time, the CM had already left by road because she was getting late for her programme. We have, however, show caused the company. This is the first time that such a goof-up happened," he said.
At Bongaon, the TMC supremo sharpened her attack on the BJP in the same breath as her "attempted movement obstruction" allegation.
"I tell the BJP: don't try to play games with me because you can't compete with me. Use all the agencies and spend however much money you want. People will take the money and still not vote for you. You will give money for one month, but what after that? People want security of livelihood, democracy and respect. You won't be able to fight and defeat me politically. I cannot be cornered," she said.
Banerjee, who reached her destination nearly two hours late, said the move to deny her the chopper ride turned into an unexpected optic disaster for the BJP, as her road journey morphed into a rolling show of public mobilisation, drawing crowds far larger than a single landing could have managed.
"On the way here, I met so many people on the road with whom I could connect. 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 decide the helicopter cannot fly, there must be valid reasons. She must stop politicising everything," he said.
An expert in aviation matters, not wishing to be named, told PTI that mandatory fitness checks are required to be done with all aircraft before each flight and that there are non-negotiable rules set down by the office of the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the Civil Aviation ministry.
"Airworthiness of choppers carrying VVIPs like the chief minister is especially important. Who would shoulder responsibility if a disaster strikes? There’s no point in dragging politics into this," 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 on Monday, but its lapsed insurance was not detected during checks.
"The lapse should have been flagged off immediately. Allowing the trial flight without verifying documents is unacceptable. The expired insurance was not reported during the check. The issue came to light early Tuesday," the official said.
Sources said that a visibly displeased chief minister made no attempts to hide her disappointment when the matter was brought to her notice.
"This kind of negligence cannot be tolerated, especially in matters involving VVIP movements. 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.
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