Chopper denied nod twice, claims Charanjit Singh Channi

Deepkamal Kaur

Jalandhar, February 14

Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi today claimed his helicopter was denied permission to fly twice, forcing him to skip AICC former president Rahul Gandhi’s rally in Hoshiarpur and travel to Jalandhar by road from Sujanpur, where he addressed a rally in the afternoon.

How can I be threat?

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I am the CM. How can my helicopter be a threat to the PM? Charanjit Singh Channi, CM

The authorities had declared a “no-fly zone” because of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the city for an election rally. By the time Channi arrived here for minister Pargat Singh’s rally, the event was already over. Former PCC chief Sunil Jakhar said he would take up the issue with the Election Commission.

Earlier in the day, Channi claimed his flight from Una to Hoshiarpur, where Rahul was slated to address a rally, was held up as the air traffic control (ATC) denied clearance, citing the PM’s visit. He thereafter went to Sujanpur for his second rally. In the afternoon, he again alleged his helicopter was not allowed to fly from Sujanpur to Jalandhar for a second time in the day. He reportedly kept waiting for clearance, which never came. “I am the CM of the state. How can my helicopter be a threat to the PM?” he said.

Channi’s reaction was an apparent attempt at thwarting any attack over “security breach” during PM’s visit to Ferozepur on January 5.

PM Narendra Modi, during his speech in Jalandhar today, said he had faced a similar issue in 2014 when as the Gujarat CM he had to fly from Pathankot to Himachal Pradesh for a rally. “MP Rahul Gandhi was to fly the same day and I did not get the permission,” he said.

The PM also took a swipe at the arrangements of the state government, saying he wanted to visit Shri Devi Talab Mandir after the rally, but “such is the state of affairs, they (authorities) completely gave up on the idea. I will surely pay respects to the deity sometime later”.

Channi finally arrived in Jalandhar around 7.45 pm and visited Guru Ravidas Dham, near Buta Mandi, on the Nakodar road, where a fair was on as part of Ravidas Jayanti. Pargat later said: “I asked the CM, but we really do not know what happened. He initially got clearance from the ATC, but was later not allowed to fly. It may be a deliberate attempt to stall the CM.”

PM cites ’14 incident

During his speech in Jalandhar, PM Modi said his flight was denied permission to fly in 2014 when as the Gujarat CM he was travelling from Pathankot to Himachal Pradesh for a rally. “MP Rahul Gandhi was to fly the same day and I did not get the permission,” he said.