Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann came under fire on Monday from the opposition Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal, who claimed he was the man who allegedly “drunk and deplaned” from a Lufthansa plane in Frankfurt the day before, an accusation AAP rejected and demanded an apology for.
Why was the Chief Minister of Germany?
The Chief Minister travelled to Germany with a delegation of state officials to engage with potential investors for Punjab. He was supposed to return to the party’s ‘Rashtriya Jan Pratinidhi Sammelan’ in Delhi on Sunday, but he could not do so and instead joined the meeting through video call. He returned on Monday.
Bhagwant Mann In Germany
Image Source: Hindustan
What was the controversy?
Following claims that a flight of the German airline was delayed due to a passenger who was intoxicated and removed from the plane, controversy erupted over his delayed arrival. Sukhbir Singh Badal, his wife Harsimrat Kaur Badal, and Congress legislative party leader Partap Singh Bajwa said the “deplaned” man was CM Baghwant Mann and demanded his resignation.
Partap Singh Bajwa
Image Source: Hindustan Times
What did Sukhbir Singh Badal tweet?
Mr Badal tweeted the following statement:
Disturbing media reports quoting co-passengers say Pb CM @BhagwantMann was deplaned from Lufthansa flight as he was too drunk to walk. And it led to a 4-hour flight delay. He missed AAP's national convention. These reports have embarrassed & shamed Punjabis all over the globe.1/2 pic.twitter.com/QxFN44IFAE
— Sukhbir Singh Badal (@officeofssbadal) September 19, 2022
What was the Union Civil Aviation Minister’s Reaction?
While answering the reporters regarding this incident, he said, “This was an incident on international soil. We will have to make sure that we verify the facts. It is up to Lufthansa airline to provide the data. Based on the request sent to me, I will certainly look into it.”
Civil Aviation Minister Scindia
Image Source: DNA India
What did Lufthansa say regarding this incident?
On Monday, the official handle tweeted the following message:
Our flight from Frankfurt to Delhi departed later than originally planned due to a delayed inbound flight and an aircraft change. Best regards
— Lufthansa News (@lufthansaNews) September 19, 2022
What was AAP’s reaction?
Following the airline’s statement, Malvinder Singh Kang of the AAP stated that the opposition should apologise. He said, “They have been spreading all sorts of lies since Sunday. They made false allegations against the CM of Punjab. They don’t mind bringing a bad name to the state by targeting the CM.”
Malvinder Singh Kang
Image Source: Tribune India
Do you think CM Baghwant Mann is drunk? Let us know in the comments!
Article Credits: PARI
