Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and his mother Sonia's Bengaluru-Delhi flight made an emergency landing at the Bhopal airport due to rough weather this evening. The Gandhis were returning from the two-day brainstorming session in Bengaluru attended by 26 parties.
The incident happened around 7.45 PM and the aircraft is likely to take off for onward journey at around 9.30 PM. Senior Madhya Pradesh Congress leaders, including former minister PC Sharma and MLA Kunal Chaudhary, have reached the airport.
The meeting concluded with the opposition parties forming a coalition - Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance or 'INDIA' - setting the tone for their 2024 Lok Sabha campaign. It's going to be "a battle between NDA and INDIA" in 2024, Rahul Gandhi and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said.
The former Congress president, during a press conference, said they have decided to prepare an action plan where they will talk about their ideology and programmes. "The fight is against the ideology of the BJP and their thinking, they are attacking the country, unemployment is rampant, and the country's wealth is being taken away from millions and handed over to a few of the friends of the BJP and the Prime Minister," Mr Gandhi said.
He also said the fight was not between the opposition parties and the BJP, but it was a "fight for the idea of India that was being attacked".