Kolkata, February 3: After West Bengal government denied permission to his chopper for landing, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath refused to give up and decided to address a rally in South Dinajpur district via telephone. In his address, Yogi Adityanath made a blistering attack on his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee and accused the Trinamool Congress chief misusing her powers.

"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 government is functioning as the workers of TMC, should not be acceptable at all," Adityanath said in his speech via telephone. Earlier today, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accused the state government of denying permission to Adityanath's helicopter to land.

Adityanath was scheduled to address two rallies at Balurghat in Dakshin Dinajpur district and Raiganj in Uttar Dinajpur district. Activists and supporters of the saffron party protested outside District Magistrate ADP Palraj's office at Balurghat. According to district BJP leaders, the party had been trying to secure the permission besides making alternative arrangements so that Adiyanath could address the rally here.

According to them, they had filed for the requisite permission well in advance but were told at the last minute that a final decision was yet to be taken on the matter. Describing the incident as yet another glaring example of "undeclared Emergency" in the state, BJP national Secretary Rahul Sinha demanded immediate suspension of the District Magistrate.

"The culture of Bengal is to extend all courtesies to the guests. But in this case, they have refused permission for his chopper to land. Nothing can be more indecent. This only shows how much the Trinamool is scared of BJP's progress in Bengal," Sinha said. Amit Shah Falls From Chopper While Campaigning For Mizoram Assembly Elections, Watch Video.

This is the second recent instance a controversy has erupted over the denial of permission for facilitating the landing of helicopters carrying BJP bigwigs, who have been holding public meetings across the state as part of the BJP's blitzkrieg in West Bengal ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.

On January 22, the district administration had denied permission for BJP President Amit Shah's chopper to land in Malda district, citing that the ground was not ready. (With agency inputs)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 03, 2019 03:05 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).