Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann deplaned in Frankfurt for being drunk? AAP rejects claims
There is a debate going on over whether Punjab the Chief Minister was removed from a Lufthansa flight to Delhi in Frankfurt because he was deemed unable to fly
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Bhagwant Mann, the chief minister of Punjab, just got back from an eight-day vacation to Germany. He was in Germany looking for investors for his state. His journey, though, was still largely shrouded in controversy.
There is a debate going on over whether Punjab the Chief Minister was removed from a Lufthansa flight to Delhi in Frankfurt because he was deemed unable to fly.
According to the Lufthansa website, the aircraft from Frankfurt was due to reach in Delhi at 12.55 AM IST (GMT+5.30) on Saturday after departing from Frankfurt at 1.40 PM (GMT+2). But the flight took off at 5.52 PM (GMT+2) from Frankfurt and landed in Delhi at 4.30 AM IST (GMT+5.30).
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Rumours about the Punjab chief minister’s delayed return are rampant after the Indian branch of BMW denied having any plans to open a branch in Punjab. As a result, he missed the Aam Aadmi Party’s first-ever conclave in Delhi.
His party has now debunked claims made by his political adversaries that Mann was forcibly removed from the plane on Saturday night at the Frankfurt airport because he was inebriated.
“The dirty tricks department of our political opponents are spreading these canards, to defame our CM. They cannot digest that CM Mann is working hard to get investment in Punjab. The CM is returning as per schedule. He was to land here on Sunday night and he has already landed in Delhi,” said party Chief Spokesperson Malwinder Singh Kang to The Tribune.
However, an Indian co-passenger on the same flight, who did not wish to be named, told indianarrative.com that “the Chief Minister was not steady on his feet as he had imbibed excessive alcohol and had to be supported by his wife and security personnel accompanying him.”
The passenger claimed the departure of the flight was delayed by over 4 hours as the luggage of the CM’s entourage which was loaded on the plane had to be taken off. Punjab government officials tried to prevail upon the Lufthansa flight crew not to deplane Mann as he had to attend many important meetings fixed on the next day but they refused to compromise on their flight safety rules, he added.
