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Congress: Who paid for Narendra Modi’s chartered flights as Gujarat Chief Minister?

Published

9 years ago

on

Abhishek Singhvi

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Hitting back at BJP, the Congress on Wednesday asked it to explain who paid for more than 100 trips Narendra Modi had made by chartered planes across India and abroad between 2003 and 2007, when he was chief minister of Gujarat.

The BJP on Tuesday had alleged that arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari paid Rs 10 lakh for air tickets for Rahul Gandhi’s brother-in-law Robert Vadra. The Congress said the charges were devised to divert attention from the controversy surrounding the business practices of BJP chief Amit Shah’s son Jay Shah, as part of “beta bachao andolan” (save the son campaign).

Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi, who said his claims were based on reply to an RTI query by senior Gujarat Congress leader Arjun Modhwadia, told a news conference that the estimated cost of Modi’s air trips was around Rs 16.56 crore.

The Congress released a list which it claimed were trips made by Modi in private planes and helicopters from 2003 to 2007. “They are all chartered trips, not state plane. Chartered trips, the calculation on the then charter rates (comes to) Rs 16.56 crore…. Barring a few foreign trips… who paid for these trips? Deafening silence continues till today; he has received no reply to his RTI,” said Singhvi.

“These trips are clearly trips by a constitutional functionary…. They are provided for by private persons and we do not have any account of them so far,” he said.

Singhvi also said that of the amount Rs 16.5 crore (for the 100 trips), Rs 5 crore was for four foreign charters.

“In July 2007 to Switzerland, in June 2007 to South Korea, in April 2007 to Japan and November 2006 to China. They are all by a chartered firm called Planet Aviation…. The people accompanying him are… the who’s who of industry in India, all CMD-level people…. These foreign trips and domestic trips raise the six-seven issues,” he said.

He said the people accompanying Modi on these charters included industrialists like Gautam Adani, Nikhil Meshwani of Reliance, Sudhir Mehta of Torrent, Parimal Nathwani, Pankaj Patel of Cadila, Prasad Menon of Tata, Harishankaran of ILFS, Rajeev Jyoti of Bombay Rubber,  HK Patel, BK Goenka.

He also said under the law, any constitutional position holder, cabinet Minister or Chief Minister – must declare a gift above Rs 500. “If the state government has not paid for these trips even partially, it is deemed to be a gift to that constitutional position holder,” said Singhvi.

“It is not a question of doing for Vibrant Gujarat or for Gujarat’s Industry, it is the question of receiving a benefit from beneficiaries of Gujarat’s Industrial Policy because somebody has to pay,” he added.

“There is no free lunch, somebody has to pay for this and that somebody has to be those beneficiaries of the state industrial policy travelling with a constitutional position holder,” he said.

The party also accused the BJP of trying to divert attention from allegations against BJP President Amit Shah’s son Jay Shah by raising the Vadra issue. The BJP had on Tuesday attacked the Congress over a report on Times Now that fugitive arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari had bought business-class air tickets for Rahul Gandhi’s brother-in-law Robert Vadra in 2012.

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had held the press conference on Vadra’s alleged links with Bhandari who the CBI has linked to the Pilatus aircraft deal.

Defending Vadra, Singhvi said: “The government could not find anything in 41 months. We have not heard of any conviction and no prosecution.” On the other hand, details of Modi’s travels have been officially sought through the RTI.

Singhvi also pointed out that Sitharaman selectively did not mention that the government had earlier proudly listed as their achievement the import of Swiss-made basic trainer aircraft Pilatus, which was completed in 2015. “So from 2012-2015 and, in particular from 2014 to 2015, no black listing, no cancellation, no allegation of commission or illegality or corruption. In fact, you are listing it as a great achievement, the delivery,” he said. Bhandari’s company, Offset India Solution Private Limited, is under the scanner for alleged corruption in the Pilatus deal.

Waving a picture of Bhandari with Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju, Singhvi alleged that he was close to BJP leaders. He demanded to know how Bhandari was allowed to flee abroad in December 2016 even though his passport had reportedly been impounded by the government in June that year.

“Who helped Bhandari fly out of the country much like Vijay Mallya? It was not our government in 2016,” said Singhvi.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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Shehzad Poonawalla steps down from BJP, says personal and financial pressures led to decision 

Shehzad Poonawalla has resigned from the BJP, citing pressing financial and personal circumstances, and said he will move to the private sector.

Published

56 mins ago

on

August 17, 2026

By

Shehzad Punawalla

Shehzad Poonawalla on Monday resigned from the BJP, citing what he described as pressing financial and personal circumstances.

The BJP’s national spokesperson said he had first submitted his resignation on July 30. However, the party did not accept it at the time and asked him to reconsider his decision.

Poonawalla has now reiterated his decision to step down as the BJP’s national spokesperson and relinquish his primary membership of the party.

In his resignation letter to BJP president Nitin Nabin, Poonawalla said that after “long and hard contemplation”, he had decided to seek relief from his organisational responsibilities and active primary membership.

He also referred to developments involving certain individuals in recent days, saying they had reinforced his earlier decision. He did not name anyone in his letter.

Shehzad Poonawalla thanks BJP leadership

Poonawalla said he was touched that the BJP had initially declined to accept his resignation and expressed gratitude towards the party leadership.

He thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Nitin Nabin, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and BJP General Secretary (Organisation) BL Santosh for the platform and opportunities he received during his five years with the party.

Poonawalla said his decision to leave was not driven by any sense of hurt and described his sentiments towards the party leadership with “gratefulness, love, affection, and highest regard”.

He said that his decision was linked to pressing financial and personal circumstances and that he would move into the private sector.

At the same time, Poonawalla said he would continue to support Prime Minister Modi’s vision and work, as well as that of the BJP, wherever possible.

“I am only leaving the Vyavastha not the Vyakti or Vichar,” he said.

Shehzad Poonawalla’s political journey

A lawyer, Poonawalla began his political career with the Congress before later joining the BJP.

He came into prominence in 2017 after publicly questioning the Congress’s internal election process. He alleged that the process was rigged in favour of Rahul Gandhi for the post of party president.

Poonawalla subsequently left the Congress and joined the BJP, where he became one of the party’s prominent representatives in television debates.

On July 30, he had also changed his bio on X, removing the reference to himself as “BJP National Spokesperson” while retaining his description as a lifelong follower of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

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Bihar temple stampede leaves 7 dead amid heavy Sawan rush

Seven devotees were killed and several others injured in a stampede-like incident at Ashok Dham Temple in Bihar’s Lakhisarai during the Sawan rush.

Published

1 hour ago

on

August 17, 2026

By

At least seven devotees were killed and several others injured in a stampede-like incident outside the Ashok Dham Temple in Bihar’s Lakhisarai district on Monday. The incident occurred amid a heavy rush of worshippers on the third Monday of the Sawan month.

Officials said panic may have spread after an electric pole collapsed near the queues, with rumours circulating that a live wire had fallen into the crowd. Authorities later said the fallen wire was a cable.

Crowd surge triggers chaos at temple

Lakhisarai District Magistrate Shailendra Kumar said an unprecedented surge in the number of devotees was further intensified by the arrival of two trains around 6.30-6.45 am.

According to the district magistrate, a barricade outside the temple broke under the pressure of the crowd, causing people to fall over one another.

He said arrangements had been made in anticipation of a large gathering, while police and administrative personnel had been monitoring the area since around 3 am.

Electric pole collapse sparks panic

Kumar said an electric pole on the right side of the men’s queue suddenly fell. A rumour then spread that a live electric wire had fallen on devotees.

He said the wire was actually a cable, but the rumour caused pressure to build in the women’s queue on the other side. Several women subsequently fell on top of one another.

Sub-Divisional Police Officer Shivam Kumar said preliminary information indicated that an electric pole had fallen and that people may have been electrocuted, leading to the stampede-like situation.

However, he said the exact cause would be established only after a detailed verification of the facts.

Rescue operations launched

Following the incident, police and administrative teams reached the temple and began rescue operations. The injured devotees were taken to nearby hospitals for treatment.

Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary described the incident as extremely tragic and directed the administration to ensure proper and prompt medical treatment for those injured.

The Chief Minister also announced financial assistance of Rs 4 lakh for the family of each person who died.

Ashok Dham Temple draws Sawan crowds

The Ashok Dham Temple, also known as Shri Indradamaneshwar Mahadev Temple, houses a large Shivalinga and attracts a significant number of devotees during Sawan.

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Asish Banerjee found dead in Rampurhat, Mamata Banerjee aide’s death shocks TMC

Former West Bengal deputy speaker and five-time Rampurhat MLA Asish Banerjee was found dead at a Trinamool Congress office in Birbhum.

Published

1 day ago

on

August 16, 2026

By

Mamata Banerjee

Former West Bengal Assembly deputy speaker and Trinamool Congress leader Asish Banerjee was found dead at a party office next to his residence in Rampurhat, Birbhum district, on Sunday morning.

Police said his body was found hanging and was sent for postmortem. A large crowd gathered outside the Trinamool Congress office after news of his death spread.

Who was Asish Banerjee?

Asish Banerjee had served as the deputy speaker of the West Bengal Assembly when Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee was the state’s chief minister. He was also a five-time MLA from Rampurhat.

He had served as Bengal’s education and agriculture minister after Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress first came to power in the state.

Banerjee contested the West Bengal Assembly election earlier this year but lost the Rampurhat seat to BJP’s Dhruba Saha.

Asish Banerjee’s recent party role

Banerjee stepped down as chairman of the Trinamool Congress’s Birbhum district core committee in June. At the time, he said he would continue as a general member of the party.

He lived in the Hattalapara neighbourhood of Rampurhat, with the party office where his body was found located next to his house.

BJP gains in Birbhum

The BJP won six of the 11 Assembly constituencies in Birbhum in the latest state election. This marked a significant change from 2021, when the Trinamool Congress had won 10 seats in the district while the BJP had secured one.

Police have sent Asish Banerjee’s body for postmortem as the circumstances surrounding his death are being investigated.

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