New Delhi: The Congress announced on Thursday that its senior official and in-charge of the media Pawan Khera was deboarded from a flight from Delhi to Raipur in order to travel to Chhattisgarh for the AICC plenary session, which is set to start tomorrow.
After the event, Khera said in a statement that he had been informed that there was a luggage problem.
“I was told there is a problem with your luggage, even though I only have one handbag. When I came down from the flight, I was told that you cannot go. Then it was said – (Deputy Commissioner of Police) DCP will meet you. I’ve been waiting for a long time. There is no trace of rules, laws and reasons,” Khera said, Indian Express reported.
At the airport's tarmac, the leaders of the Congress party raised slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi's administration. “Modi jab jab darta hai, police ko aage karta hai (Whenever Modi is scared, he puts the police in front),” the Congress leaders shouted.
The Congress claimed in a tweet that top leaders general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal and general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala were also on board.
The Congress referred to it as a "dictatorial" mindset and noted that ED raids in Chhattisgarh had previously been used to try to obstruct the plenary session. Jairam Ramesh, the general secretary in charge of communications, also criticised Union Home Minister Amit Shah saying, “First ED raided Raipur, now @Pawankhera has been offloaded from Raipur by Delhi Police. Another name for dictatorship is Amit Shahi. The Modi government wants to disrupt our national convention. We are not afraid, will continue to fight for the countrymen.”
Taking to Twitter, KC Venugopal said, "Modi govt is acting like a bunch of goons by deplaning @Pawankhera ji from the Delhi-Raipur flight and preventing him from joining the AICC Plenary. Using a flimsy FIR to restrict his movement & silence him is a shameful, unacceptable act. The entire party stands with Pawan ji."
Khera recently caused a stir when he called the prime minister "Narendra Gautamdas Modi." Speaking at a press conference in Delhi, he demanded that the Adani Group be the subject of an inquiry by a joint parliamentary committee (JPC).