Jharkhand Elections: Rahul Gandhi's chopper delay sparks political sabotage allegations. Congress approaches EC

Congress Member of Parliament and Leader (MP) of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi's helicopter was unable to take off for some time from Jharkhand's Godda, awaiting clearance from Air Traffic Control (ATC).

The chopper finally took off after a 45-minute delay amid high-stakes campaigning for the final phase of the Jharkhand assembly elections scheduled for November 20.

Many Congress party leaders cried foul and alleged that the delay was a calculated move to disrupt Gandhi's campaign schedule in the poll-bound state. Some leaders pointed fingers at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rally near Deoghar, suggesting that the ATC's decision prioritised the PM's event over Gandhi's scheduled programme.

The contest in the state’s fifth assembly election in 2024 is primarily between the ruling JMM-led INDIA bloc and the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

“Just because the PM is in Deogarh, Rahul Gandhi was not allowed to cross that area...There is the protocol we understand, but Congress ruled the country for 70 years, and such an incident never happened with any opposition leader. This is not acceptable,” said Dipika Pandey Singh, MLA and Congress candidate from Mahagama seat.

Congress MP and general secretary, K C Venugopal said the mistreatment led to 2-hour delay. “This mistreatment took place on Dharti Aaba Birsa Munda Ji’s jayanti, when Rahul Ji is in his birthplace Jharkhand to commemorate his contributions towards Adivasi rights. The Modi government is so brazen that it will resort to such petty tactics to stop Rahul Ji, who has for decades spoken for Adivasi empowerment and protecting the Constitution at all costs,” he said in a post.

Around 80 km away at the Deoghar airport, Prime Minister Modi's aircraft experienced a technical snag, which caused it to remain at the airport and delay his return to Delhi. PM Modi is scheduled to be in the national capital this evening to inaugurate an event at the SAI Indira Gandhi Sports Complex.

Earlier in the day, in his speech at Mahagama in Godda district of Jharkhand, Gandhi condemned Modi for attempting to give Mumbai's Dharavi to Adani.

Calling PM Modi a "puppet of billionaires," he said that the PM has taken money away from poor people.

“We are not scared of Narendra Modi, the 56-inch chest man and Mann ki Baat. Narendra Modi is a puppet of billionaires. Whatever the billionaires say, Narendra Modi does the same. Modi ji has waived off ₹16 lakh crore of billionaires by snatching the money of the poor. Dharavi's land worth ₹1 lakh crore in Maharashtra is also being handed over to Adani. The truth is that- Our government in Maharashtra has been toppled only to grab land,” Rahul Gandhi said.

Further hitting out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), he said that the party does not care about Backward Classes, as they had reduced their reservation and taken away their land.

Gandhi further invoked the name of Ambedkar, Birsa Munda, Buddha, Gandhi and Phule, saying that the “soul of India is in the Constitution.”

“Our Constitution contains the thoughts of Ambedkar ji, Birsa Munda ji, Lord Buddha ji, Gandhi ji and Phule ji. The soul of India is in this Constitution. Today, the rights you have got to water, forest and land are from the Constitution,” Gandhi said.