Punjab CM Channi's chopper not allowed to fly from Chandigarh amid PM Modi's visit

Ahead of the Punjab election, another political conflict erupted in the state as Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi's chopper was not allowed to fly from Chandigarh. Reportedly, the action came as Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to campaign in Jalandhar today, February 14. Reacting to the development, senior Congress leader Sunil Jakhar demanded action from Election Commissioner. 

The Chief Minister was supposed to fly to Hoisharpur by chopper for Rahul Gandhi’s rally after concluding Press Conference in Chandigarh. Ahead of PM Modi's visit, Punjab turned no-fly zone due to security reasons. Watch exclusive images from on the spot:

Congress demands action from EC

Asking EC to take cognisance of the matter, Sunil Jakhar asserted, "the CM was scheduled to come here (Hoisharpur) but it's shameful that this Government cancelled permission for Charanjit Singh Channi to come to Hoshiarpur." He added that If EC doesn't take cognisance of this, he will understand that these polls are a 'farce, sham'. 

Punjab election: Security tightened ahead of PM Modi's visit

The additional concerns regarding security came following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Ferozepur visit fiasco on January 5. PM Modi was forced to skip his Ferozepur rally as his security was compromised after arriving in the state. He was scheduled to lay the foundation stone of projects worth more than Rs.42,750 crore including the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway, four-laning of Amritsar-Una section, Mukerian-Talwara New Broad Gauge railway line, PGI Satellite Centre at Ferozepur and two medical colleges at Kapurthala and Hoshiarpur. 

The problem started when the PM decided to travel to the National Martyrs Memorial at Hussainwala by road instead of the air route due to poor weather. As per the Ministry of Home Affairs, a major lapse was observed in the PM's security around 30 km from the destination as his convoy was stuck for 15-20 minutes due to a road blockade.

PM Modi's rally in Jalandhar 

The Prime Minister is all set to address a public rally in Jalandhar on Monday ahead of the Punjab Assembly elections. His visit to the poll-bound state came a month after his previous visit which was cancelled due to a major security failure on the part of the state government. Ahead of his visit, security preparations have been heightened. 

Image: PTI/ANI/Republic