- Monday, March 10, 2025
By: Shubham Ghosh
A major controversy broke out in the northern Indian state of Punjab after media reports claimed that the state’s chief minister, Bhagwant Mann, was deplaned from a Lufthansa flight at Frankfurt airport in Germany as he was “too drunk to walk”.
Sukhbir Singh Badal, former Punjab deputy chief minister and leader of opposition Shiromani Akali Dal, said the reports “embarrassed and shamed” Punjabis across the world. He also asked Arvind Kejriwal, the national convener of the Aam Aadmi Party which is in power in Punjab, to come clean.
“Disturbing media reports quoting co-passengers say Pb CM @BhagwantMann was deplaned from Lufthansa flight as he was too drunk to walk. And it led to a 4-hour flight delay. He missed AAP’s national convention. These reports have embarrassed & shamed Punjabis all over the globe,” Badal said in a tweet.
“@ArvindKejriwal needs to come clean on this issue. Govt of India must step in as this involves Punjabi & national pride. If he was deplaned, GoI must raise the issue with its German counterpart,” he added.
Disturbing media reports quoting co-passengers say Pb CM @BhagwantMann was deplaned from Lufthansa flight as he was too drunk to walk. And it led to a 4-hour flight delay. He missed AAP's national convention. These reports have embarrassed & shamed Punjabis all over the globe.1/2 pic.twitter.com/QxFN44IFAE
— Sukhbir Singh Badal (@officeofssbadal) September 19, 2022
The Indian National Congress, another opponent party, tweeted the news report that quoted a passenger on the Delhi-bound Lufthansa flight in Frankfurt as saying that Mann was drunk.
Mann “was not steady on his feet as he had imbibed excessive alcohol and had to be supported by his wife and security personnel accompanying him,” the passenger was quoted as saying.
A Big Shame!!
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann deplaned because he was heavily Drunk pic.twitter.com/7PaPSiVDtb— Delhi Congress (@INCDelhi) September 19, 2022
Mann, a former comedian and actor, was on a eight-day visit to the European nation to attract investments for the state. According to a report in Indian daily The Hindu, the chief minister had to reschedule his India-bound journey from Frankfurt in a last-minute change as he was reportedly unwell, said an official.
The leader, who took charge as the chief minister earlier this year, could not take part in the AAP’s first-ever national conclave which took place on Sunday (18).
“Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann, who is in Germany, will participate in the day-long conclave through video conference during its concluding session in the evening,” AAP chief spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj said.
The rescheduling of Mann’s return journey triggered speculation with the opposition alleging that he was deplaned at Frankfurt on Saturday (17) night because of his state.
Luftansa crew threw Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann out of the flight as he was excessively drunk and couldn’t stand on his feet.
The plane got delayed for 4 hours for his antics, causing inconvenience to other passengers. pic.twitter.com/mpf575Dani
— Rishi Bagree (@rishibagree) September 19, 2022
The AAP though has denied the allegations saying they were to defame Mann who it said was working hard to get investment in Punjab.
“The chief minister returned on September 19 as scheduled. All these social media reports are propaganda. The opposition is rattled because Mr Mann is effectively getting some investment from his foreign trip…you can also check with Lufthansa airlines”, NDTV quoted Malwinder Singh Kang, an AAP spokesperson, as saying.
The airline said in a statement, “Our flight from Frankfurt to Delhi departed later than originally planned due to a delayed inbound flight and an aircraft change. For data protection reasons we do not provide any information regarding individual passengers.”
On Monday (19), Mann reached the official residence of Kejriwal upon his arrival in New Delhi amid the controversy.
