India
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday entered Bengal via Jharkhand by road after being denied a helicopter landing by the Mamata Banerjee administration
Purulia/New Delhi: In the battle of BJP versus Mamata Banerjee, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath took a road of Jharkhand to enter her territory after he was denied permission to land by the Bengal chief minister.
Earlier today, Yogi flew from Lucknow to Ranchi, took a chopper from Ranchi to Bokaro's Chandankiyari. He travelled by car from there to enter Bengal to address a rally in Bengal's Purulia.
The act of Yogi took the faceoff between the parties to another level with the Uttar Pradesh chief minister announcing he was ready to court arrest.
Purulia is the district through which BJP made inroads into Bengal in the panchayat election where the ruling TMC faced a big setback in spite of violence and intimidation the latter had taken recourse to.
पुरुलिया, पश्चिम बंगाल में जनसभा को संबोधित कर रहा हूँ। देखिये :- https://t.co/PlQMGIqlfX
— Yogi Adityanath (@myogiadityanath)On Tuesday, appealing to the Hindu sentiments, Adityanath said, "Now a sannyasi will fight Mamata," soon after ascending on the stage. He alleged, "Mamata does not believe in democracy.".
Lashing out on the Bengal chief minister, the Hindutva poster boy referred to the Supreme Court ruling on Rajeev Kumar, stating, "Even the court today ordered that her police commissioner has to present himself before the CBI. He has to go to Shillong to be questioned."
The Uttar Pradesh chief minister, who was at his aggressive best, warned, addressing a packed ground, "We will hunt down TMC goons."
The TMC and BJP have been on a path of confrontation in Bengal since the party ruling at the centre wanted a rath yatra to criss-cross Bengal, the permission for which was denied by the TMC administration. The ruling party cited intelligence reports in the Calcutta high court and then the Supreme Court to argue against the yatra.
Even Amit Shah was not allowed to land on a helipad in Malda to address a rally — under the false pretext of repair work — much as the landing spot had been decided well in advance.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while addressing a rally in Bengal recently, said, "Why are you so afraid, Mamata didi?"
The confrontation acquired a new colour when CBI sleuths went to question Kolkata police commissioner Rajeev Kumar in connection with Saradha chit fund scam — only to be detained, creating a constitutional crisis.
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