“I'm not terrorist,” Channi on permission getting cancelled to fly to Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar at last minute
Chandigarh, Feb 14: Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Monday claimed that his chopper was not allowed to fly to Hoshiarpur and Jalandhar because areas were declared as no-fly zones amid Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the state.
Channi was to attend a poll rally along with former Congress president Rahul Gandhi at Hoshiarpur. Gandhi was to attend a second rally alone in Gurdaspur which he attended. PM Modi came to Jalandhar to address his first physical rally for the February 20 Punjab polls. Channi claimed that the permission given to his chopper to fly to Hoshiarpur from Chandigarh was cancelled.
Channi was to fly to Hoshiarpur in a chopper shortly after addressing a press conference in Chandigarh to attend a poll rally there with Rahul Gandhi. "I had to fly at 11 am and I sat in the chopper. Suddenly I was told that the permission (for flying) has been cancelled and I could not go there," the chief minister told reporters here.
"My
four
hours
got
wasted.
I
could
not
attend
Rahul
Gandhi's
rally
because
the
clearance
was
not
given,"
he
said.
He
added
that
he
was
denied
permission
to
fly
as
the
area
was
made
no
flying
zone
because
of
the
PM's
visit.
Replying
to
a
question,
Channi
claimed
he
had
permission
for
flying
and
landing
at
Hoshiarpur
which
was
later
withdrawn.
"People
know
everything
about
what
politics
they
are
playing
with
me,"
he
said.
The
CM
later
went
to
Sujanpur
in
Pathankot
for
an
election-related
programme.
Channi,
however,
later
complained
that
he
was
again
denied
permission
to
fly
from
Sujanpur
to
Jalandhar
where
he
was
to
attend
another
poll-related
programme.
Then
he
travelled
by
road
from
Sujanpur
to
reach
Jalandhar
for
attending
a
programme.
He
told
a
TV
channel
separately
that
he
was
the
state's
chief
minister
and
not
a
terrorist.
"Why
was
I
being
stopped
in
such
a
way?
What
conspiracy
is
this?
What
politics
is
this?"
he
asked.
He
alleged
that
the
reason
for
stopping
him
from
flying
was
"purely
political."
He
said
he
had
to
travel
through
the
road
to
reach
Jalandhar.
Notably,
a
month
after
he
cut
short
his
Punjab
visit
due
to
a
security
breach
in
Ferozepur,
Prime
Minister
Narendra
Modi
on
Monday
said
in
Jalandhar
that
he
was
unable
to
pay
a
visit
to
a
temple
there
as
local
authorities
could
not
make
necessary
arrangements.
"Such
is
the
situation
of
the
government
in
Punjab,"
the
prime
minister
said
addressing
a
poll
rally
in
Jalandhar
while
attacking
the
Congress
party.
The
Prime
Minister
said
he
would
come
to
Jalandhar
again
and
pay
his
obeisance
at
the
Devi
Talab
Mandir.
Modi
was
addressing
a
poll
rally
in
person
in
Jalandhar,
his
first
in
Punjab
after
January
5
when
he
had
to
return
from
the
state
without
attending
any
event,
including
a
public
meeting,
after
his
convoy
got
stuck
on
a
flyover
due
to
a
blockade
by
protesters
in
Ferozepur.
Recalling
his
2014
Lok
Sabha
poll
campaign
as
the
BJP's
PM
candidate,
he
said
his
plane
was
not
allowed
to
fly
as
"the
Congress' namdar
and
its
yuvraj
(prince),
who
was
just
an
MP,"
had
a
programme
near
Amritsar.
"I
got
delayed
by
more
than
an
hour
in
reaching
Pathankot.
When
I
reached
Pathankot,
my
helicopter
was
not
allowed
to
fly.
Why?
Because
their
yuvraj
was
visiting
some
other
place
in
Punjab,"
Modi
said
in
an
apparent
reference
to
Congress
leader
Rahul
Gandhi.
"Such
misuse
of
power
used
to
happen
for
one
family.
In
2014,
my
helicopter
could
not
fly
after
sunset.
My
two
programmes
in
Himachal
Pradesh
at
that
time
had
to
be
cancelled.
It
has
been
the
deeds
of
the
Congress
to
stop
its
opponents.
For
the
last
50
years,
it
has
been
doing
this
against
its
rivals,"
he
said
as
he
took
a
dig
at
the
Gandhis.
PTI