Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann came under attack from opposition Congress and SAD that alleged a man reportedly “drunk and deplaned” from a Lufthansa flight in Frankfurt the day before was him, a charge AAP denied and demanded an apology for.
The CM was in Germany with a delegation of state officials to meet potential investors for Punjab. He was expected to return to attend the party’s ‘Rashtriya Jan Pratinidhi Sammelan’ in Delhi, but couldn’t make it and joined the meeting through a video call. Controversy came over for his delayed arrival following reports that a flight of the German carrier ran behind schedule because of a passenger who was allegedly drunk and removed from the plane.
SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal, his wife Harsimrat Kaur Badal, and Congress legislative party leader Partap Singh Bajwa alleged that the “deplaned” man was CM Mann and asked him to resign.
Sukhbir tweeted that “Disturbing media report quoting co-passengers say Pb CM @BhagwantMann was deplaned from Lufthansa flight as he was too drunk to walk. And it led to a 4-hour flight delay. He missed AAP’s national convention. These reports have embarrassed & shamed Punjabis all over the globe.”
Lufthansa News, a verified twitter handle, tweeted that “Our flight from Frankfurt to Delhi departed later than originally planned due to a delayed inbound flight and an aircraft change. Best regards.”
