No decision to shift Aero India from Bengaluru: Union Minister

when the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) was in force in the state.

Rifleman Aurangzeb, who belonged to the 44 Rashtriya Rifles, was on way back home on June 14 to celebrate Eid when terrorists abducted him. Hours later, his bullet-riddled body was found at Gussu village, about 10 km from Kalampora, in Pulwama district. His killing triggered widespread outrage in Kashmir. BENGALURU: Amidst a row over reports that the venue of the prestigious Aero India show would be shifted from Bengaluru to Lucknow, Union Minister Ananth Kumar has said Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had confirmed that there was no decision on the matter.

Kumar’s statement comes after Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy had shot off a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, insisting that Bengaluru would be the “best choice” for the biennial aerospace exhibition.

“There is no decision on shifting #Aeroindia 2019 venue out of #Bengaluru to #Lucknow, as clarified by Defence Min officials. I have spoken to @nsitharamanji, who has confirmed the same. There were similar rumours last time too, which were proved to be unfounded,” Kumar, the Lok Sabha MP from Bangalore South constituency, tweeted yesterday.

Aero India has traditionally been organised at the Indian Air Force’s Yelahanka air base on the outskirts of Bengaluru since its inception in 1996. Reports about shifting the venue has kicked up a political storm between the Bharatiya Janata Party and Congress.