Aircraft develops snag: Modi calls up Rahul, enquires about safety

Prime Minister Narendra Modi telephoned Congress chief Rahul Gandhi on Thursday just before leaving for China to enquire about his safety after an aircraft carrying the Gandhi scion developed a snag before landing at Hubballi airport in poll-bound Karnataka, party sources said.

Congress has demanded a probe in the matter and alleged there could be a conspiracy. Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu said that government will take appropriate action in case anything is “found wanting” in Rahul Gandhi plane incident. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation is examining the issue, while the state police have registered a complaint.

Sources said that Rahul received the PM’s call around 2:30 PM on Thursday. Rahul is on a two-day visit to Karnataka to canvass for his party for the May 12 assembly polls. “It was a private conversation between the two (over phone). All the authorities concerned were informed about the plane developing snag. After that, the prime minister rang up Rahul enquiring if he was fine,” added the sources.

Congress’s communications in-charge Randeep Surjewala described the failure of the auto-pilot mode in the aircraft as “horrific” and “serious” and demanded a probe to find out if there was any “foul play”.

He added that an aircraft carrying a Special Protection Group (SPG) protectee developing such a snag was unprecedented.

The plane carrying Rahul and few more people from Delhi to Hubballi developed a technical snag, tilting heavily on the left side and the altitude dipped steeply with violent shuddering of the aircraft body at 10.45 am, Rahuls close aide Kaushal Vidyarthee wrote in a letter to state Director General of Police Neelmani N Raju. Vidyarthee was also in the same craft.

Vidyarthee also tweeted later about the incident, saying the Congress chief had maintained his composure and even tried to calm the co-passengers down. “Glad to be in a room and getting some rest....Thankful for being alive...Never had such a frightening experience in my life...Plane went into free fall...Couldn’t believe CP’s composure and calmness as he stood beside pilots trying to save the situation,” Vidyarthee wrote on Twitter.