BJP alleges Bengal govt not allowing landing of Amit Shah's copter, Mamata says 'absolutely not true'

The BJP alleged Monday the West Bengal government has denied permission for the landing of a helicopter carrying its president Amit Shah at an airstrip in Malda on Tuesday, a charge Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said was "absolutely not true".

Hitting out at the state government, Union Minister Piyush Goyal claimed that it showed Banerjee was "scared" of his party's growing influence in the state.

"The desperation and fear of the Trinamool Congress and Mamata Banerjee are clearly visible in this decision. The state government is trying to block every programme of Amit Shah, be it a rally, yatra or the landing of his chopper," he told reporters.

Goyal also sought comments from opposition parties like the Congress on the matter, saying if a BJP government had obstructed political programmes of rival parties' leader, then it would be accused of "intolerance".

In Kolkata, BJP state president Dilip Ghosh told PTI, "The administration has denied permission for landing at Malda airstrip citing reasons of construction work there. However, no such construction is being conducted at Malda airport."
Denying the allegation, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said, "For helicopter landing police gave all the permission. That's (the accusation) wrong."
When contacted, a senior official of the state police said, "This (allegation of refusal of permission) is incorrect, there were some security-related issues because of some ongoing construction work at the helipad. The matter is being processed and no objection is being given."