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Updated: Feb 03, 2019 14:59 IST

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath was on Sunday forced to telephonically address the people gathered in South Dinajpur for his rally.

The situation arose after the Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal refused landing permission for his helicopter.

Addressing the people collected at Balurghat in Bengal’s South Dinajpur, Yogi said, “Mamata ji must accept that you don’t misuse administration in a democracy, the way it’s being done in West Bengal. The way Bengal’s administration is functioning as the workers of TMC, should not be acceptable at all.”

“The permission for the CM’s rally has been declined by the West Bengal government without any prior notice,” news agency ANI reported quoting the UP chief minister’s office.

Last month, there was a row between the BJP and the Mamata Banerjee government over a landing spot for BJP president Amit Shah’s helicopter ahead of his rally in Malda.

The Malda district administration had told the BJP that permission to land a helicopter on the ground opposite the Hotel Golden Park, where the aircraft of chief minister Banerjee also lands, will not be possible as the airport was being renovated and that construction material was lying on the runway.

The BJP pointed out that the landing spot was already being used by the Bengal government. Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad accused Mamata Banerjee of “abusing her power” to block Shah’s helicopter from landing in Malda and using “falsehood” to deny permission.

Banerjee later said that her government gave the permission to the BJP chief to use a helipad in the town and said “we believe in democracy.”

The BJP plans to organise up to 200 public meetings in Bengal to boost its seat tally in 2019 Lok Sabha polls. PM Narendra Modi and Amit Shah have already held rallies in the state. Modi is scheduled to address another public meeting on February 8. Union ministers Rajnath Singh, Smriti Irani are among BJP leaders who will address the rallies in Bengal in the next few weeks.

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.