"No Problem With Helicopter Search But...": Trinamool's Abhishek Banerjee

Trinamool Congress General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee clarified that the Election Commission or the Income Tax is free to search his helicopter but the officials cannot stop them by not permitting the chopper for a trial run even after not finding anything after the search.

"I do not have any problem with search or seizure in the helicopter. The Election Commission can do so. My problem is that even after they did not get anything after the search they did not give permission for the trial run. The Income Tax does not have the authority to do so. We will take it up legally," Mr Banerjee said speaking at a press conference at Tamluk constituency on Monday.

The Trinamool Congress alleged on Sunday that officials of the Income Tax department raided the helicopter of the party's general secretary, Abhishek Banerjee, at Behala Flying Club.

"Five days before elections, hordes of cash are recovered from the cars of BJP leaders in Jalpaiguri. What do Income Tax officials do? Raid Abhishek Banerjee's chopper, while ECIremains a mute spectator. The irony is that all this comes on a day when PM Narendra Modiclaims to fight corruption," Trinamool Congress posted on X.

TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee also targeted the Election Commission over the alleged incident and said that the poll body with the BJP decided to deploy 'minions' of the Income Tax department.

"Instead of removing the NIA DG and SP, ECI, and BJP chose to deploy MINIONS FROM IT to search and raid my chopper and security personnel today, resulting in NO FINDINGS. The ZAMINDARS can exert all there might but Bengal's SPIRIT OF RESISTANCE will never waver," he said.

However, sources denied any search taking place at the TMC leader's helicopter adding that the "media reports in this regard are completely misleading."

"No search/raid or survey or any enforcement action was undertaken by the Income Tax Department in respect of any helicopter/aircraft of TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee. Media reports in this regard are completely misleading," the sources said.

The sources further said that Behala Flying Club does not have any frisking/security apparatus or scanner working and this was brought to the notice of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of West Bengal on April 4 by the State Nodal Officer of the Income Tax Department.

During one such routine verification on the basis of ATC information at Behala Flying Club/Airstrip in Kolkata on April 14, the Quick Response Team (QRT) went to collect certain relevant information from the Aerodrome personnel, sources said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)