UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath accused Mamata Banerjee government of anarchy and misrule in West Bengal. (Source: PTI Photo/File) UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath accused Mamata Banerjee government of anarchy and misrule in West Bengal. (Source: PTI Photo/File)

After being denied permission to land his chopper in West Bengal by the state government, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday took road route for his rally in Purulia. The chief minister flew to Jharkhand’s Bokaro before travelling to Purulia in West Bengal by road.

Upping the ante against the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government, Adityanath said, “You must have seen how she is trying to save a corrupt officer. Nothing can be more shameful, undemocratic and unconstitutional than a chief minister of a state sitting on a dharna (sit-in protest) to ensure that secrets of corruption don’t spill out.”

Calling the TMC government in West Bengal as “corrupt and undemocratic”, he criticised Banerjee for not allowing benefits of central schemes to be passed on to the people of the state.

The UP CM accused the Bengal government of indulging in unconstitutional activities. “This (West Bengal) government is embroiled in undemocratic and unconstitutional activities and that is the reason why a ‘sanyasi’ and ‘yogi’ like me is not being allowed to step on the soil of Bengal.”

Before heading for Purulia, Adityanath alleged that Bengal was suffering under Mamta Banerjee government’s rule. “It saddens me that Gurudev Tagore’s Karmabhoomi, our Bengal today is suffering from anarchy and misrule of Mamta Banerjee government, now is the time that West Bengal should be freed from this government to protect the Constitution through a strong democratic movement,” he tweeted.

Calling the Opposition an alliance of the corrupt, Adityanath said, “And that’s why I will stand today in Purulia holding the flag of this movement challenging the alliance of corrupts.”

Speaking on the same lines, Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das said that this is an attack on the democracy that Adityanath is not allowed to land in a state. “You can see democracy is being murdered. Anybody from any political party can go anywhere in the country. CM of an elected govt of largest state isn’t being permitted to land there and address rally but he’ll go via Jharkhand. People of Purulia are waiting for him.”

On Sunday, the UP chief minister addressed a public rally in Balurghat over the phone after his helicopter was denied permission to land. Earlier, the state government had not let BJP president Amit Shah’s helicopter to land in Malda at a local airport. Shah had later used a helipad of the BSF.

Responding to a question that her government was denying permission to BJP leaders to land, Mamata Banerjee told reporters at her dharna site that “is not correct, it is absolutely wrong”. The Bengal chief minister has been on a dharna for the past two days against the CBI’s attempt to question Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar on the chit funds scandal.

Mamata also asked Adityanath to take care of matters related to his state first. “Ask Yogi to take care of Uttar Pradesh first. So many people have been killed, even police were murdered, so many people were lynched, he himself will lose if he contests elections. He doesn’t have a place to stand in UP that’s why he’s roaming around in Bengal,” she said.

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Meanwhile, BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain, who was to hold a rally in Murshidabad today, alleged that the TMC government denied permission for his rally.

On Monday, a delegation of BJP leaders led by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman met the Election Commission with a complaint against the Mamata government. Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, S S Ahluwalia and Anil Baluni were a part of the delegation. BJP spokesperson Baluni had said, “The West Bengal government is denying us our democratic rights. We are not being allowed to hold rallies, public meetings and permission is not being given for landing of choppers…”

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