Prime Minister Narendra Modi encountered significant delays during his travel on Friday when his special Indian Air Force (IAF) plane developed a technical snag at Deoghar airport in Jharkhand, leaving him stranded for nearly two hours. The Prime Minister had just delivered a speech at a rally in Jamui, Bihar, approximately 80 kilometers from Deoghar, where he attended a function commemorating the 150th birth anniversary of the esteemed tribal leader, Birsa Munda, an event known as Janjatiya Gaurav Divas.
In a statement regarding the incident, Deoghar Deputy Commissioner Vishal Sagar confirmed that PM Modi was forced to wait for more than two hours as efforts to resolve the issue with the IAF aircraft were unsuccessful in a timely manner. As a precautionary measure, the airspace around the region was declared a “no-flying zone” during the wait.
While PM Modi was grounded, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi experienced a similar predicament in nearby Godda, Jharkhand. His helicopter, scheduled to return him after addressing an election rally, was also delayed for approximately two hours, igniting allegations from Congress officials who claimed the incident was politically motivated.
Deepika Pandey Singh, a state minister representing the Congress party, raised serious concerns regarding the situation, asserting that the grounding of Rahul Gandhi’s helicopter posed a grave threat to his safety and amounted to a significant security lapse orchestrated by the central government.
In response to the delays faced by both leaders, the Congress party lodged a formal complaint with the Election Commission, urging immediate action regarding the alleged grounding of Rahul Gandhi’s helicopter. The party emphasized the need for urgency in ensuring fair conditions for campaign activities in the election-bound state of Jharkhand. The interplay of these delays highlights the ongoing tensions in the political landscape, particularly in the context of upcoming elections.
