Pilot grounded in MP by chacha Kesri

INDORE, Feb 20: Rajesh Pilot, who had contested against Sitaram Kesri for the post of party president, was shown his place yesterday by the latter in an amusing incident. Pilot had arrived in Indore in the morning on a special plane and had proceeded to canvass for Congress candidate in Khargone by road. The same plane went to fetch Kesri from Delhi who arrived the same evening.

Apparently the original plan was that the hired plane will take Pilot to Nagpur after a rally at Indore in which both leaders participated. The rally was so poorly attended that it must have shown Kesri where he stands in the popularity stakes. After the late night public meeting Pilot went to the airport to take off for Nagpur. He was politely told that plans had changed.

Pilot could not believe it, he stayed on and tried to contact Kesri. Kesri apparently told him that as Congress president he would decide where the plane would go and his decision was that it would not go to Nagpur. Pilot had to stay at a local hotel and takethe service flight next morning. Those at the airport confirmed that embarrassment had turned Pilot so red that it matched the colour of his Rajasthani pagdi.