CM’S chartered jet ride to Delhi kicks up row

CHANDIGARH : Barely hours after he profusely thanked the Congress high command for picking an “aam aadmi” (common man) for the top post, new chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi and other Congress leaders on Tuesday drew flak from the opposition parties for taking a chartered flight to Delhi.

Channi, his two deputies Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and OP Soni and Punjab Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu travelled from Chandigarh to Delhi in the chartered plane to meet the central leaders for a discussion on cabinet expansion.

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) questioned the use of the chartered flight by the CM and his deputies. “After saying that they stand with the common man, INC leaders take private jets to travel just 250km from Chandigarh to Delhi. Are there no normal flights or cars that can be use? Or is this chest thumping aimed at propagation of Gandhi family’s Delhi Darbar culture?” the SAD said in a tweet, taking a dig at the Congress leaders.

AAP MLA and leader of opposition Harpal Singh Cheema said the Congress leaders cannot give up their royal habits. “No one becomes a common man just by saying. Their real faces have been exposed,” he said, asking Channi, Sidhu and Randhawa whether the chartered plane was rented from the state exchequer or the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee would bear the cost. The controversy started after Sidhu tweeted a photo in which he was seen with Channi and Randhawa beside the chartered plane in which they travelled to Delhi.

Capt Amarinder Singh’s former media adviser Raveen Thukral also took digs at them, questioning their decision to rent a 16-seater to ferry four people to Delhi. “Wow…what a ‘gareeban di sarkar’! A 16-seater Learjet to ferry four people when a 5-seater official chopper was available,” he posted on Twitter.

In another post, he said: “Wonder who’s paying for such luxury – the state govt or @Incpunjab? Can’t be @sherryontopp or @CHARANJITCHANNI or @Sukhjinder_inc or #Opsoni for sure. Though eventually I guess it’s the common man who’ll end up footing the bill for their pleasures!”