Amarinder's chopper lands in Akali rally

Despite the bitterness between the Congress and the Akalis, Amarinder did not get a hostile reception.

Blame it on the weather gods. What else could explain the hugely embarrassing faux pas that had Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh's chopper landing right in the middle of opposition Shiromani Akali Dal rally on a wet Sunday?

HT Image

As Congress leader and former MP Jagmeet Singh Brar alighted from the chopper in a rally ground near Gidderbaha town, 250 km from Chandigarh, people rushed to receive them, only to realise that something was amiss. Amarinder had landed straight in the middle of a rally by Manpreet Singh Badal, a nephew of former chief minister and Akali Dal president Parkash Singh Badal.

Despite the bitterness between the ruling Congress and the Akalis, Amarinder did not get a hostile reception as Akali leaders welcomed him. After all, Amarinder had been an Akali leader himself before he joined the Congress a decade ago.

The chief minister also admitted his mistake. He was supposed to go to the nearby town of Kotkapura to campaign for Brar's brother. After a few minutes, Amarinder was back in the air - this time with correct directions from the Akali leaders.