I did not put pressure on the pilot to land aircraft: Rahul Gandhi

LUCKNOW:

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday sought to nip in the bud a possible controversy when he made it clear that he did not force the helicopter pilot to land in zero visibility conditions in Sitapur on Monday evening.

"I am a pilot and I am absolutely aware of the dangers of flying in low visibility conditions. I will be the last person to do it," he told a press conference, dismissing UPCC president Rita Bahuguna Joshi's comments that he had forced the pilot to land in bad conditions.

"The PCC president is not a pilot. I have not put any pressure on the pilot. The pilot called me aside this morning and told me that the media was creating a controversy and putting my job in trouble. He has not broken any rule. You are making a story and destroying their career. This is not fair," he said.

To questions on Joshi's remarks, 39-year-old Gandhi said that she is not a pilot and she is also not a weather expert. There was plenty of visibility when the helicopter landed, he said.

Joshi had earlier said Rahul had asked the pilot of the helicopter to land in "zero visibility" just to fulfil his commitment of meeting people.