Cong alleges delay in clearance for Rahul Gandhi's chopper, says PM rally ‘prioritised’
The Congress MP's helicopter left around 45 minutes after it was originally scheduled to depart Jharkhand's Godda.
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's helicopter was ‘held up’ for about 45 minutes before it was allowed to depart from Jharkhand's Godda, the party alleged on Friday, and claimed the delay was because the Air Traffic Control (ATC) gave “priority” to an election rally of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Chakai, around 150 kilometres from Godda.
The incident occurred two days after 43 out of 81 assembly constituencies voted in Jharkhand. The remaining 38 seats will vote on November 20 and results will be declared on November 23.
The ATC's non-clearance for Gandhi's chopper was a “calculated ploy” to “disrupt” his campaign schedule, leaders of the grand old party said.
“Just because the PM is here, Rahul Gandhi was not allowed to cross that area. We understand that there is a protocol. But, the Congress ruled the country for 70 years and such an incident has never happened with any opposition leader. This is unacceptable,” NDTV quoted Deepika Pandey Singh, Congress MLA from Mahagama and its candidate for the constituency, as saying.
The controversy comes days after the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), which runs the government with the Congress and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), alleged the helicopter of chief minister and JMM leader Hemant Soren was not allowed to take off for 90 minutes because of PM's visit to the state.
The JMM also wrote to President Droupadi Murmu, the state's ex-governor, urging her intervention to ensure a level-playing field for all political parties.
This was followed by a senior poll official seeking a report from the director of Ranchi airport.
"We clarified there will be no restrictions unless there is any closure of airspace. If such a thing happens, he has to inform about the protocols beforehand. This was not followed,” K Ravi Kumar, Jharkhand's chief election officer, had said.
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