New Delhi, June 21: Abhishek Banerjee, a leader of the Trinamool Congress (TMC), has become the center of political discussions following his recent travel between Kolkata and Delhi. This conversation intensified after his meeting with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Friday.
Banerjee, regarded as the party’s second-in-command, visited Delhi to question the legitimacy of a rebel faction within the TMC. He urged the Speaker not to recognize a breakaway group of 20 MPs claiming to merge with the Nationalist Congress Party of India (NCPI) and requested their disqualification under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution.
Accompanying Banerjee were TMC MPs Mahua Moitra, Kalyan Banerjee, Sougata Roy, and Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien. Reports indicate that they traveled on a chartered private jet from a Kolkata-based aviation company.
Publicly available information suggests that the cost of chartering such flights, including an overnight stay in Delhi, can range from ₹3 million to over ₹10 million, depending on the type of aircraft. Regional media reports indicate that preferred models for such trips include the Legacy 600 or the larger Embraer ERJ-135LR, with total flight costs potentially reaching ₹8 million for approximately nine hours of flying time.
For smaller aircraft, the average fare can be around ₹500,000 per hour. Additional expenses may arise from parking or renting hangar space for the aircraft.
While political leaders often require helicopters or small planes for busy schedules during elections, MPs traveling from their constituencies to the national capital typically receive compensation according to their established salary structure.
In the 2011 assembly elections, when the TMC broke through the Left’s stronghold in West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee claimed that the Congress party covered the costs of helicopters used in her campaign. Since then, the TMC has been contesting elections independently, with expenses on air travel reportedly reaching ₹460 million.
Banerjee’s recent use of chartered flights for his trips to Delhi has sparked discussions, albeit not as vocally as before. Following a significant defeat in the recent assembly elections, such travels have drawn criticism not only from opponents but also from within the TMC.
TMC MLA and spokesperson Kunal Ghosh stated he was unaware of how Banerjee traveled to Delhi but expressed his disapproval if it was at the party’s expense. When asked about Ghosh’s comments in Delhi, Banerjee avoided a direct answer but neither confirmed nor denied traveling by chartered plane.
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