UP Minister's logic: 'If we can organise Kumbh Mela, Aero India is no big deal'

Lucknow, Aug 14: Amid speculation that Aero India show could be shifted from Bengaluru to Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh Aviation Minister on Tuesday gave a weird logic and compared organising of a mega air show to making arrangements for a mass pilgrimage - the Kumbh Mela.

There have been reports that the biennial event -- considered the largest aerospace exhibition in Asia -- may be organised at the Bakshi Ka Talab air force base in Lucknow in October.

The minister did not stop at that and in bid to further strengthen his state's case said that UP has everything as it was 'birthplace of Lord Rama and Lord Krishna'.

"UP mein Bhagwan Ram aur Sri Krishna ki janambhoomi hai. To yahan par sab kuch hai. Itna bada Kumbh Mela hone jaa rha hai.Hum vo tayari kar sakte hain to Aero Show ki tayari mein aisa kuch ni hai (UP is the birthplace of Lord Rama and Lord Krishna. So there is everything. A massive event like like Kumbh Mela is organised here. If we can organise Kumbh, then Aero india is nothing)," UP Aviation Minister Nand Gopal Gupta told ANI.

Aero India has traditionally been organised at Indian Air Force's Yelahanka air base on the outskirts of Bengaluru. At an event on Saturday, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath made a request to Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to select Lucknow as the venue for the Aero India.

Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy yesterday sent a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, insisting that Bengaluru would be the "best choice" for the event.