AHMEDABAD : Prime Minister Narendra Modi took off this morning in a seaplane from the Sabarmati river in Ahmedabad and landed 35 minutes later at the Dharoi Dam, about 180 km away. He then drove to the famous Ambaji temple in Mehsana to offer prayers as campaigning for the Gujarat assembly elections ends today. PM Modi is now back in Ahmedabad.
Amid some controversy over PM Modi riding the single-engine seaplane – the security rule-book says the Prime Minister can only fly in twin or multi-engine aircraft – he took off from near the Sardar Bridge connecting Ahmedabad’s old city with the newer parts in the west. A special jetty was constructed to facilitate the boarding.

Photos showed PM Modi buckled in a seat in the sea plane. John Goulet, the pilot who flew the seaplane, said, “It was a very pleasing experience. I gave him a safety briefing. He was a very good passenger. Sea planes are very common in many countries, it should be popular in India also as you have lakes, the rivers, the coastal areas.”
“How is it that the security guidelines were relaxed for this flight? No Z+ protectee is allowed to fly in a single engine aircraft, much less the PM of our country,” tweeted former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah, also adding, “Single engine plane. Foreign pilots. Is there any security guideline that will not be thrown out today?”
Congress president-elect Rahul Gandhi said the Prime Minister’s seaplane ride was “a distraction from key questions,” adding that “the real question is what did you do for Gujarat in 22 years.”

The seaplane take-off from the Sabarmati was Plan B after the PM’s roadshow in Ahmedabad today was cancelled. It is designed to draw attention to the development work done by the BJP, which is seeking a fifth straight term in power in Gujarat, in response to the Congress, which has focused its campaign on alleging that the Gujarat model of development is a fail.
Amid controversy over riding the single-engine seaplane – PM Modi took off from near the Sardar Bridge As PM Modi announced his sea-plane plan on Twitter on Monday evening, he also said, “With air, roads & rail connectivity, our Government is making efforts for harnessing waterways.
All this is for 125 crore Indians,” adding, “The transformation across Gujarat is for everyone to see. Sadly, Congress’ notion of development is making a quick buck and that is why they are unable to see any change for the better.” (With Agency Inputs ).

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