Cong plaints to EC after PM’s aircraft snag delays Rahul Gandhi’s campaign

Ranchi/Dumka: Congress complained to the Election Commission that there is an absence of level playing field for the opposition after a technical snag in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s aircraft in Deoghar led to the halting of opposition leader Rahul Gandhi’s helicopter in Godda for nearly two hours.

A few days ago, both chief minister Hemant Soren and his MLA wife, Kalpana, also faced a similar situation owing to security concerns related to the PM’s programme. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh wrote to the EC: “They (Rahul’s team) have been informed that due to the protocol of other leaders in the vicinity, a no-fly zone restriction had been put in place. In fact, due to the said delay, all subsequent programmes of Rahul Gandhi (for which prior permission had been secured) are now either being delayed or cancelled.”

“We request your commission to urgently intervene in this situation and ensure that the level playing field is not disrupted in such a manner. If such a situation is allowed to prevail, then the ruling regime (at the Centre) and its leaders can always take undue advantage of such protocols and limit the election campaign of opposition leaders,” he added.

On Friday, Rahul was scheduled to address two rallies. At 12.30 pm, he was slated to address a rally at Mehrama in the Mahagama constituency in Godda district in favour of its outgoing MLA Deepika Pandey Singh and other INDIA bloc candidates in adjoining seats, falling in the Santhal Pargana region. Thereafter, he was scheduled to hold a rally at Bermo in Bokaro at around 3.15 pm. After wrapping up the Mahagama rally at around 12.50 pm, Rahul couldn’t fly due to non-clearance by the air traffic control (ATC) at Deoghar airport.

Rahul was kept waiting in the helicopter and was finally given clearance to fly only after 2.30 pm, leading to a delay in reaching Bermo, said Congress spokesperson Rakesh Sinha, who was in Godda.

Mahagama MLA Deepika charged the BJP with trying to sabotage their campaigning ‘out of fear’. She said, “First, CM, then Kalapnaji, and now our leader Rahul Gandhiji. Fearing defeat, BJP is playing dirty tricks by such acts. BJP must know that Rahulji hails from a family which gave PMs to this country. Rahulji is also the LoP in Lok Sabha.”

JMM’s central spokesperson and general secretary Supriyo Bhattacharjee added, “PM’s flight suffering a technical snag requires a detailed probe by DGCA to uncover the truth. BJP can try all the tricks, but it has realised that it is losing its plot again in Jharkhand.”

BJP, on the other hand, snubbed the ruling camp. Party spokesperson Pratul Shahdeo said, “There are a host of protocols involved around the PM of the country, and JMM, Congress shouldn’t resort to cheap politics.”

Deoghar deputy commissioner Vishal Sagar told TOI that the PM kept waiting inside his aircraft until another plane from New Delhi reached after two and a half hours. “The aircraft from Delhi took off from Deoghar airport at 4:50 pm. He kept waiting inside his own aircraft and not at the airport lounge due to security concerns,” he said.

Courtesy : TOI

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