An eyewitness said Chief Minister of Punjab boarded the flight ‘totally drunk’ and was unable to even stand without support of his wife and security guards
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. Twitter/@BhagwantMann
New Delhi: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had to skip his scheduled flight from Frankfurt to Delhi last-minute on Sunday as he was allegedly deplaned for being in an inebriated state.
A report by The Hindu said that Mann, who was on a trip to Germany from 11 to 18 September, delayed his departure as he was reportedly unwell.
The report quoted sources saying that Mann and his team of officials did not board the scheduled flight as per the schedule. They were dropped at the Frankfurt airport by cabs, but the India Consulate reportedly again called the cabs to pick Punjab CM Mann from the airport as he did not board the aeroplane.
“Mr. Mann was a little unwell and he would catch a flight later tonight from Frankfurt and would be back,” AAP’s director of media communication Chander Suta Dogra said.
Social media claims Mann deplaned at Frankfurt for being drunk
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has been strongly denying the allegations of political opponents that Mann was deplaned at Frankfurt airport because of being inebriated. They have termed it false and frivolous, but an eyewitness of Lufthansa’s LH 760 to Delhi from Frankfurt said, “Punjab chief minister (Bhagwant Mann) apparently deplaned at Frankfurt for being drunk.”
Journalist Aman Malik shared tweets by an eyewitness who said Chief Minister of Punjab boarded “totally drunk” and was unable to even stand without support of his wife and security guards.
“Lufthansa folks deplaned him saying he is intoxicated and can’t fly as per rules,” the eyewitness said, adding that the flight got delayed as Mann and his team’s luggage had to be taken out.
The report by The Hindu mentioned an eyewitness saying that the Frankfurt-Delhi Lufthansa flight was already delayed by “three hours” because of a late inbound flight and an aircraft change.
The eyewitness further said that the flight got delayed further because of a heated exchange between some passengers and the cabin crew.
“A person donning a white kurta-pyjama and resembling Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann entered the aircraft along with other passengers… after some time four or five of them left the aircraft,” the report quoted the eyewitness saying.
The flight was scheduled to depart at 1:40 pm local time took off at 4:30 pm.
However, Chief Spokesperson of AAP Malwinder Singh Kang said, “The dirty tricks department of our political opponents is 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.”
Bhagwant Mann Frankfurt trip
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann started his visit on 11 September to attract investments and strategic tie-ups in sectors including renewable energy, car manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, advanced agricultural practices. He had held meetings with leading companies like BMW and was scheduled to visit Munich, Frankfurt and Berlin.
With inputs from agencies
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