Congress: EC operates on BJP directive, denied parking nod to Gehlot’s aircraft

Jagdish Thakor said, “The Airport Authority of India told us that due to the rush caused by events of Prime Minister and Home Minister, the permission has been declined. It is our open allegation that EC operates on BJP directive.”

The GPCC president said a party gets only 3-4 passes to receive VIP guests at airports. (File)

Accusing the Election Commission (EC) for being hand-in-glove with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Gujarat, president of Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) Jagdish Thakor on Tuesday said aircraft belonging to Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot was denied permission to park in Ahmedabad and had to be taken to Vadodara.

Speaking to reporters, Thakor said, “Yesterday (Monday) we got permission to travel from Surat to Mahuva by two helicopters. Initially, permission was denied and after we informed the EC, we got permission. As soon as we reached the airport, permission for one of the helicopters was cancelled.”

He added, “The Airport Authority of India told us that due to the rush caused by events of Prime Minister and Home Minister, the permission has been declined. It is our open allegation that EC operates on BJP directive.”

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“Some days ago, when Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot came, we were told that there was no space at the Ahmedabad airport to park his plane and that it should be taken to Vadodara. But there were only four private planes at the airport,” Thakor said.

The GPCC president said a party gets only 3-4 passes to receive VIP guests at airports. “Yesterday when I landed at Ahmedabad airport, I saw at least 30 people waiting to receive a BJP minister near the VIP lounge,” he said adding that rules of Model Code of Conduct (MCC) should apply equally to all national parties.

Thakor said tenders for putting up poll advertisements on electricity poles in Rajkot municipal area were given to the BJP without informing the Congress about the publication of the tenders. “We are going to file a formal complaint with the EC on Wednesday,” he added.

The GPCC president said that the party was not getting permission to hold meeting in villages from sarpanches aligned with the BJP. He also demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should publicise the names of all those who received the 71,000 jobs for which he gave out job-offer letters.

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