BJP takes a jibe at West Bengal govt for planning to lease aircraft

On June 11, the West Bengal Transport Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd floated an e-tender for wet-leasing a fixed-wing, twin-engine aircraft for three years

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday took a jibe at the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government in West Bengal for floating a tender to lease a 10-seater plane on lease.

Representational image. (AP)

On June 11, the West Bengal Transport Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd floated an e-tender for wet-leasing a fixed-wing, twin-engine aircraft for three years. The aircraft should be air-conditioned and capable of night operation, said the tender notice, adding that the plane would be used by VIPs.

The tender said the plane should be able to operate in any part of the country and be a super mid-sized aircraft equivalent to the Falcon 2000 or similar models. The aircraft would fly for at least 45 hours a month, the notice said.

Mocking the TMC, Suvendu Adhikari, leader of the opposition in the Bengal assembly, wrote a tweet saying the aircraft was being hired at public expense to campaign for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Without naming chief minister Mamata Banerjee, Adhikari said a Pushpak Rath (the mythological flying chariot) was being procured for a “self-proclaimed Prime Minister.”

“Pushpak Rath for (self proclaimed) PM??? Dissatisfied with helicopter’s range, process of acquiring a 10 seater Airplane has been initiated. Convenient for whimsical criss-crossing of the entire country for upcoming Loksava poll campaigning? On Govt expenses?” tweeted Adhikari.

BJP state president Dilip Ghosh said, “The government already has a helicopter. Why does it need an aircraft when there are only three operational airports in the state? This is wastage of public money.”

TMC Lok Sabha member Saugata Roy said, “Many states in India have more than one plane. Adhikari should be aware that before the 2014 Lok Sabha polls Narendra Modi used the Gujarat government’s plane to fly between different states for carrying out campaigns.”