New Delhi: Controversy hit the last day of campaigning in Gujarat with questions being raised on a possible breach of security protocol over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s seaplane ride from the Sabarmati river in Ahmedabad to Dharoi dam in Mehsana district.
After being denied permission to hold a road show, Mr Modi took a seaplane to bring “development back in focus”.
Opposition parties, including National Confe-rence leader Omar Abdullah and Congress President-elect Rahul Gandhi, took pot-shots at the Prime Minister over his seaplane ride. Mr Abdullah took to Twitter to ask why security guidelines were relaxed for Mr Modi. “How is it that the security guidelines were relaxed for this flight? No Z+ protectee is allowed to fly in a single engine aircraft, much less the PM of our country”.
Congress President-elect Mr Gandhi said there was nothing wrong if Mr Modi wanted to fly in a seaplane but it was a mere distraction from the question of what they had done for the people of Gujarat in the last 22 years. “Mr Modi and Chief Minister Vijay Rupani had initiated one-sided development here, the one only for 5-10 people. Not everyone had been given their rights,” he said.
Seaplane used was on trials
Sources in the civil aviation ministry said the seaplane used by Mr Modi on Tuesday belongs to a Japanese company Setouchi Holdings and was used by low-cost carrier SpiceJet to carry out seaplane trials last Saturday at Mumbai’s Girgaum Chowpatty.
As the Prime Minister closed in the campaigning in style by flying to pray at the famous Ambaji temple, a special floating platform was constructed on the river to facilitate him board the plane.
The seaplane took off from the Sardar Bridge-end amid sloganeering from BJP workers who had assembled at the Sabarmati riverfront.
Mr Modi proceeded by road to the Ambaji temple in Banaskantha district after his plane landed on the water of Dharoi dam.
There was a road show at Ambaji town from the outskirts till near the shrine. The Prime Minister prayed at the temple where he spent almost 15 minutes. The Prime Minister had said at a campaign rally on Monday that for the first time in the history of the country a seaplane would land on the Sabarmati.
“I will go to Ambaji in the seaplane after landing in Dharoi dam and come back,” Mr Modi had said adding “We cannot have airports everywhere, so our government has planned to have these seaplanes.”
Chief Minister Vijay Rupani had claimed that this would for the first time in the country’s history that a seaplane would land on a water body and that would be the Sabarmati.
Meanwhile, the curtains came down on Tuesday on campaigning for the second phase of polling in Gujarat, where the canvassing saw charges flying thick and fast with the top brass of the BJP and the Congress launching no holds barred attacks against each other.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi spearheaded the campaign for the ruling party and president of Congress Rahul Gandhi helmed the stumping for his outfit.
The second and final phase of elections, for which the open campaigning ended at 5 pm, will see 93 Assembly seats spread across 14 districts in north and central Gujarat going to polls.
The first phase of voting for the 182-member house, held on December 9, covered 89 seats.
