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BJYM chief Tejasvi Surya opened emergency exit on IndiGo flight: Report

BJP Yuva Morcha (BJYM) chief and Bengaluru South MP, Tejasvi Surya, reportedly opened the emergency exit door on a grounded IndiGo Chennai- Tiruchirapalli flight on December 10, 2022.

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3 years ago

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Tejasvi Surya

BJP Yuva Morcha (BJYM) chief and Bengaluru South MP, Tejasvi Surya, reportedly opened the emergency exit door on a grounded IndiGo Chennai- Tiruchirapalli flight on December 10, 2022.

According to a report by The Indian Express, sources at the budget airline confirmed that it was indeed Tejasvi Surya, who was travelling with BJP’s Tamil Nadu chief K Annamalai, and had opened the emergency exit while the plane was still grounded.

After media reports, IndiGo had on Tuesday issued a statement, more than a month after the incident.

Late on Tuesday, reports alleging that the passenger in question was Surya, started coming, however IndiGo refused to name the culprit.

“A passenger travelling on Flight 6E 7339 from Chennai to Tiruchirapalli on Dec 10, 2022, accidentally opened the emergency exit during the boarding process. The passenger immediately apologised for the action. As per SOPs, the incident was logged and the aircraft underwent mandatory engineering checks, which led to a delay in the flight’s departure,” the statement from IndiGo read.

Tejasvi Surya and K Annamalai were seated next to the emergency exit door. When the cabin crew were briefing passengers on the safety protocol, the BJYM president reportedly pulled the emergency exit door release lever while the plane was prepping for takeoff, the report by Indian Express said, quoting sources.

This led to the aircraft crew engaging emergency SOP’s as the passengers were deboarded and the craft was thoroughly examined before takeoff was okayed. The flight, which was originally scheduled to depart at 10.05 am, finally took off from Chennai airport at 12.27 pm and arrived at Tiruchirapalli at 1.23 pm.

The report, quoting sources, said that Tejasvi had given a written apology letter to IndiGo but the BJP MP could not be reached for a comment as he was attending the party’s national executive meeting in New Delhi.

“An apology note has a set format, and that was filled and signed by the person after the incident,” the report quoted a source as saying.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) while confirming the incident, had called it a “mistake” and said the aircraft was only cleared for takeoff after proper SOP’s and necessary checks were performed.

 “The event was duly reported. It appears that by mistake, the RH (right hand) emergency exit got opened by a passenger while the aircraft was on ground. The crew took note and resultantly, all appropriate airworthiness action, such as reinstalling of door, pressurisation check etc were carried out before the release of the aircraft for departure. No safety was compromised,” DGCA had said in a statement.

However, the report, while quoting a source at the Airports Authority of India office in Chennai claimed that IndiGo had not informed them about the incident.

“We were not informed when the incident took place, no report was filed in this regard,” an anonymous official was quoted as saying.

DMK leader B T Arasakumar was reportedly also travelling on the same flight and confirmed that the flight was delayed but did not know reason.

 “A few moments before take-off, the air-hostess informed us that there was a technical issue and all passengers had to step out. We were all taken back to the terminal, as engineers and security personnel started inspecting the aircraft,” the report quoted Arasakumar as saying.

Annamalai’s rival and Tamil Nadu Electricity Minister V Senthil Balaji, had alleged on December 29 in a tweet that two people from the BJP “played” with the emergency exit of an aircraft. Balaji on Tuesday, demanded an explanation from the Tamil Nadu BJP president.

On Tuesday, the DGCA had released an official statement, confirming that a passenger onboard IndiGo flight 6E-7339, had opened the emergency exit door on December 10 last year.

Without naming the passenger, the regulator had said a passenger opened the RH emergency exit door by ‘mistake’ while the aircraft was still on the ground.

“However, the crew moved in swiftly and all appropriate action to restore airworthiness such as reinstalling the door, pressurization check was carried out before the flight was cleared for departure. No safety protocol was compromised with,” it added.

‘VIP brats’

The incident landed Tejasvi Surya in the eye of the storm as the Congress lambasted the young MP for such an irresponsible act which could’ve led to fatal consequences for other passengers onboard.

In a tweet, Congress MP Randeep Surjewala called Surya one of the BJP’s ‘VIP brats’ and questioned whether the matter was silenced by the ruling party.

Karnataka Congress chief DK Shivakumar also took a dig at Surya tweeting: “For a safe take-off and landing, always fly with Congress.”

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BJP releases first list of 47 candidates for Kerala assembly polls

The BJP has released its first list of 47 candidates for the Kerala Assembly elections scheduled for April 9, including three former Union ministers.

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4 hours ago

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March 16, 2026

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BJP releases list of candidates

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday released its first list of 47 candidates for the upcoming Kerala Assembly elections scheduled for April 9.

Voting will take place for all 140 seats in the state assembly, with counting of votes scheduled for May 4. A party or coalition needs at least 70 seats to secure a majority in the House.

Among the candidates announced in the first list are three former Union ministers — Rajeev Chandrasekhar, V. Muraleedharan and George Kurian.

Key candidates announced

Kerala BJP chief and former Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar has been fielded from the Nemom assembly constituency. In the 2024 Lok Sabha election, Chandrasekhar lost the Thiruvananthapuram seat to three-time MP Shashi Tharoor, but he led in the Nemom assembly segment during that contest. The party believes this performance strengthens its prospects in the constituency.

Nemom has held political significance for the BJP since 2016, when senior leader O. Rajagopal won the seat and became the party’s first-ever MLA in the 140-member Kerala Legislative Assembly. The victory marked the BJP’s initial breakthrough in the state assembly.

However, the seat returned to the Left camp in the 2021 Assembly election when V. Sivankutty defeated BJP leader Kummanam Rajasekharan.

Former Union minister V. Muraleedharan will contest from the Kazhakoottam constituency, while George Kurian has been nominated from Kanjirappally.

Other candidates in the list

According to the list released by the party, several other candidates have also been announced for key constituencies. P. C. George will contest from Poonjar, R. Sreelekha from Vattiyoorkavu and Padmaja Venugopal from Thrissur.

The BJP has also nominated Sobha Surendran from Palakkad, Navya Haridas from Kozhikode North and Kavitha K. S. from Sulthanbathery, a reserved constituency.

Raji Prasad will contest from the Kunnathur seat reserved for Scheduled Castes, while R. Rashmi has been fielded from Kottarakkara.

Political backdrop in Kerala

Kerala’s electoral politics has traditionally alternated between the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF). However, the BJP has been attempting to expand its presence in the state.

The alternating trend was interrupted in the 2021 Assembly election when the electorate returned the Pinarayi Vijayan-led government to power for a second consecutive term.

The BJP believes recent electoral performances and local body successes have strengthened its position as it prepares to contest the upcoming assembly polls.

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Arvind Kejriwal moves Supreme Court against Delhi High Court order in excise policy case

Arvind Kejriwal has approached the Supreme Court challenging a Delhi High Court order related to proceedings in the excise policy case and alleging violation of his fundamental rights.

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14 hours ago

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March 16, 2026

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Arvind Kejriwal

Aam Aadmi Party chief and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has approached the Supreme Court of India challenging certain proceedings in the Delhi excise policy case and alleging a violation of his fundamental rights.

In a petition filed under Article 32 of the Constitution, Kejriwal has questioned a decision of the Delhi High Court that put a freeze on remarks related to the investigation conducted by the Central Bureau of Investigation.

The petition also challenges an order of the High Court Chief Justice rejecting Kejriwal’s request to transfer the case to another bench.

Plea seeks change of bench

Earlier, on March 11, Kejriwal and several others submitted a representation to Delhi High Court Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya seeking reassignment of the case to what they described as an “impartial” judge.

In the representation, Kejriwal stated that he had a “grave, bona fide and reasonable apprehension” that the matter may not receive an impartial hearing before the current bench.

However, the Chief Justice declined the request and said the petition had been assigned as per the existing roster.

According to the communication sent by the High Court’s Registrar General on March 13 to eight individuals including Kejriwal, the Chief Justice noted that any decision on recusal must be taken by the judge hearing the matter and that there was no reason to transfer the petition administratively.

Order on trial court proceedings also challenged

Kejriwal has also challenged a March 9 order passed by Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma of the Delhi High Court.

In that order, Justice Sharma had stayed a trial court direction that called for an investigation into a CBI officer who handled the excise policy case. The High Court had also asked the trial court to defer proceedings connected to the anti-money laundering aspect of the case.

Justice Sharma had further rejected certain observations made by the trial court while discharging Kejriwal and 22 others, stating that some of those remarks were erroneous.

Hearing expected on CBI plea

Meanwhile, Justice Sharma is scheduled to hear a petition filed by the CBI challenging the discharge of Kejriwal, former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and others in the excise policy case.

The matter remains under judicial consideration as the legal challenge now moves to the Supreme Court.

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BJP and TMC workers clash in Kolkata ahead of PM rally

Supporters of BJP and TMC clashed in central Kolkata near Girish Park shortly before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rally at Brigade Parade Ground.

Published

2 days ago

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March 14, 2026

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BJP TMC workers clash

Supporters of the Bharatiya Janata Party and the All India Trinamool Congress clashed in central Kolkata on Saturday morning ahead of a rally scheduled to be addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi later in the day.

The confrontation took place near Girish Park, roughly five kilometres from the Brigade Parade Ground where the prime minister is expected to address supporters.

Eyewitnesses reported that members from both political groups raised slogans and threw stones at each other during the confrontation. The clash created tension in the area as supporters were moving towards the rally venue.

According to BJP supporters, stones were allegedly thrown at them without provocation while they were heading towards the rally. One party activist told a Bengali news channel that the group was targeted suddenly and also faced verbal abuse.

However, local TMC workers rejected the allegations. They claimed that BJP supporters initiated the confrontation by hurling abuses and throwing stones first.

TMC supporters also alleged that stones were thrown towards the residence of local party leaders during the incident.

Police personnel were quickly deployed to the spot to control the situation and prevent further escalation. A large contingent of security forces intervened to restore order in the area.

The clash occurred about half an hour before the prime minister’s scheduled address at the Brigade Parade Ground. The rally marks the conclusion of the BJP’s statewide ‘Parivartan Yatra’ ahead of the upcoming assembly elections in West Bengal.

During his visit, the prime minister is also expected to unveil and lay foundation stones for development projects valued at more than Rs 18,000 crore in the state.

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