I-T officials can’t stop trial-run of chopper, mulling legal action against them: Abhishek
‘They can’t intimidate in this manner. I have also lodged a police complaint against...’
KOLKATA: Trinamool Congress (TMC) national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Monday threatened to take legal action against Income Tax (I-T) officials for allegedly stopping the trial run of the helicopter he used during a raid on Sunday.
After holding an organisational meeting with his party leaders in Tamluk on Monday, Banerjee told the media: “I have no problems with I-T raids. But after the I-T officials didn’t find anything, they decided not to allow the trial run of the chopper.”
He further stated: “According to rules, a trial run of the chopper is mandatory. The I-T officials can’t stop it. They even forcibly erased the video of their verbal spat with my security personnel. The I-T 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.
The TMC on Sunday alleged that Banerjee’s helicopter was raided by Income Tax officials at Kolkata’s Behala flying club and this was part of a deliberate ploy by the BJP to harass and intimidate opposition candidates whom they cannot engage with politically.
Following the party’s organisational meeting in Tamluk, Banerjee said that TMC will perform better in the LS polls than it did in the 2021 Assembly elections in the East Midnapore district.
“Today’s meeting was fruitful. It was mainly a meeting with the newly elected election committee of Tamluk and also with the district organisational leaders. We had some problems in a few areas and we had a detailed discussion on them. I have spoken to all MLAs. Blockwise
discussions took place. Trinamool Congress will perform better in this district compared to the results of the 2021 Assembly polls,” Banerjee said.
In reply to a media question regarding the BJP’s Tamluk candidate Abhijit Gangopadhyay, Banerjee said: “It is better not to talk about him much. He has exposed the judiciary. Whatever complaints we had raised against him, Gangopadhyay has proved all of them to be true. He had directed the CBI to add my name in the list. He had himself admitted that he had approached the BJP and BJP had approached me while sitting in the chair of a justice.”