KOLKATA: Trinamool Congress is yet to get a reply from the Election Commission on how Narendra Modi and Sonia Gandhi were using Pawan Hans helicopters for public meetings contrary to its instructions, while party chief Mamata Banerjee cancelled a trip to Assam for non-availability of a chopper.
“We are yet to receive any communication in this regard from the Election Commission,” state Chief Electoral Officer Sunil Gupta said here today.
Sources in the CEO’s office, however, said that the matter could come up during the full bench of the Commission’s meeting with the national and state recognized political parties here on April 6, provided the TMC raised the issue.
In a letter to Chief Election Commissioner V S Sampath on April 2, TMC General Secretary Mukul Roy asked for clarification in this regard.
“Kindly issue clarification failing which we will be deprived of natural justice under the statute,” the letter stated.
Roy referred to use of a Pawan Hans helicopter by BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi for attending a public meeting at Bareilly in UP early this month.
“It is reported that Sonia Gandhi was also seen on TV channels using a Pawan Hans helicopter in Karnataka on March 30,” the letter said.
The letter also referred to EC’s instruction dated April 9, 2009 which stated that aircraft or helicopter owned by government and public sector undertakings should not be used by political functionaries during election campaign.
Roy also said that the party was yet to get a response from the EC to its earlier letter of March 31.
On April 2, the TMC chief cancelled her election meeting at Barpeta in Assam due to non-availability of a helicopter, Roy had earlier said. -PTI
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