Considering legal action against IT officials for stopping trial run of copter: Abhishek Banerjee

TMC accused the I-T officials of conducting a raid on the helicopter of their general secretary, Abhishek Banerjee alleging that this action is part of a deliberate strategy by the BJP to harass opposition candidates. However, I-T department sources refute the claim, stating Banerjee wasn't even present during the raid.

Tamluk: Senior TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee on Monday threatened to take legal action against Income Tax officials for allegedly stopping the trial run of the helicopter he uses during a raid the previous day.

The Trinamool Congress on Sunday claimed that its general secretary Abhishek Banerjee's helicopter was raided by Income Tax officials at Kolkata's Behala flying club and alleged this was part of a deliberate ploy by the BJP to harass and intimidate opposition candidates whom they cannot engage with politically.

As a row erupted over the TMC's claim of a 'raid', I-T department sources claimed that there was no enforcement action such as a search or survey and the TMC leader wasn't even present in the chopper.

While speaking to reporters, Banerjee said, "I have no problems with IT raids. But after the IT officials didn't find anything, they decided to not allow the trial run of the chopper."

The Diamond Harbour MP claimed when his security personnel videographed the raid, IT officials forcefully had it deleted.

"According to rules, trial run of the chopper is mandatory. The IT officials can't stop it. They even forcibly erased the video of their verbal spat with my security personnel. The IT officials can't intimidate in this manner. I am considering legal action against it. I have also lodged a police complaint against it," he said.

Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, told reporters that the IT raid was part of the drive to eliminate black money from election campaigns.

Adhikari said the TMC's outcry over the raid indicates that the party's leaders are apprehensive about their ill-gotten wealth.

As a storm brewed over the TMC's claim of an IT department 'raid' on a helicopter used by Banerjee, the department said to fulfil its mandate of coordinating with law enforcement agencies to ensure free and fair elections, a team of income tax department was sent in 'a routine manner' to collect information of the arrival of a helicopter at Behala Flying Club from Malda in West Bengal around 1 pm on Sunday, sources in the department said.