New Delhi [India]: Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Friday wrote a letter to Election Commission seeking its intervention after party leader Rahul Gandhi's chopper was delayed due to "no-fly-zone restriction" enforced "due to protocol of other leaders in vicinity".
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said in a post on X there should be a level-playing field in campaigning and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's campaign "cannot take precedence over that of all others".
Ramesh wrote a letter to EC saying that level-playing field should not be disrupted.
He said Rahul Gandhi, Member of Parliament and Leader of Opposition (Lok Sabha), campaigned in Jharkhand at an election rally of the Indian National Congress.
The Congress leader said Rahul Gandhi and his staff had secured all the requisite permissions for travelling across the state and attending all the pre-scheduled election rallies.
He said as per the approved schedule and permissions in place, at 1.15 pm, Rahul Gandhi and his team were to take off from Godda to fly to other locations across the state (Balbadda - Deoghar Airport).
"However, their mode of travel, which was permitted to fly at 1.15 pm IST, has not been allowed to take flight. They have been informed that due to the protocol of other leaders in the vicinity, a no-fly zone restriction had been put in place," the letter said.
"In fact, due to the said delay all subsequent programmes of Shri Rahul Gandhi (for which prior permission had been secured) are now either being delayed or cancelled. We request your Commission to urgently intervene in this situation and ensure that the level playing field is not disrupted in such a manner," it added.
Jairam Ramesh said if such a situation is allowed to prevail, then the ruling regime and its leaders can always take undue advantage of such protocols and "limit the election campaign of opposition leaders.
—ANI