DEHRADUN: Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi’s proposed two-day visit to Uttarakhand ran into rough weather on Thursday, forcing his helicopter to make an emergency landing at Pantnagar airport and leaving him to address a public meeting in Almora over a mobile phone.
Gandhi had taken off from New Delhi for Almora, where a public meeting was scheduled as part of his Uttarakhand tour. However, poor weather conditions in the hill district prevented the aircraft from proceeding further. The helicopter was brought back and landed at Pantnagar, officials said.
The sudden change in schedule disappointed Congress workers and supporters who had gathered in Almora to hear him. Local party leaders, however, got an opportunity to meet Gandhi at Pantnagar after the landing.
Addressing the Almora gathering over phone, Gandhi said he had been keen to meet the people in person. “Today, I wanted to be with you, sit among you, listen to you and understand your joys, difficulties, hopes and concerns. Unfortunately, due to severe weather conditions, this could not be possible,” Gandhi said.
Dressed in his trademark white shirt, the Congress leader said he had reached Pantnagar in the morning and was to fly to Almora by helicopter.
“But given the adverse weather, the pilot clearly refused to take off. We are all humble before nature, and there can be no compromise with the safety of fellow travellers,” he said.
Gandhi said he had planned to speak on Uttarakhand’s present condition, its economic and social challenges, and the future of the state. He also referred to his scheduled interaction with ex-servicemen in Pauri Garhwal and a planned visit to Kotdwar.
“I promise you that I will return to Uttarakhand very soon. Then we will not meet in haste. We will sit together, talk at length, listen to your views and discuss the way forward for a better future for the state,” he said.
Gandhi’s June 4-5 itinerary included a public meeting in Almora, an interaction with ex-servicemen in Pauri, a visit to Kotdwar to meet Mohammad Deepak, and meetings with Congress leaders and office-bearers in Dehradun.
During his phone address, Gandhi also attacked the Centre over the Agniveer scheme. “The Modi government brought Agniveer into the armed forces, where service is for four years. But if an Agniveer is martyred, the country does not provide security to his family,” he said.
He added that crores of young Indians aspire to join the armed forces and work hard for it. “We want them and their families to be protected,” Gandhi said.
Responding to the visit, BJP state media in-charge Manveer Singh Chauhan called it “political tourism”. “If Rahul Gandhi has come for an internal Congress programme, we have no objection. But if he has come for political purposes, the people of Uttarakhand will not accept this visit,” Chauhan said, adding Uttarakhand, with its strong military tradition and soldiers from nearly every family, would not forgive Gandhi for what he called his alleged remarks against the armed forces during previous public statements.
