Flight departed later due to delayed inbound flight, aircraft change: Lufthansa Airlines amid allegations against Punjab CM "deplaned" at Frankfurt for being 'drunk'

New Delhi [India], September 20 : Amid allegations against Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann for being deplaned from a flight in Germany for "being intoxicated", Lufthansa Airlines on Monday issued clarification regarding the 4-hour delay of its Delhi-Frankfurt flight.
According to Lufthansa News, Frankfurt to Delhi flight departed later than its scheduled time due to a delayed inbound flight and an aircraft change.
"Our flight from Frankfurt to Delhi departed later than originally planned due to a delayed inbound flight and an aircraft change," Lufthansa News tweeted replying to a user asking about the delay in the flight.
https://twitter.com/lufthansaNews/status/1571794084540424194?s=20&t=92GU6X3z4xo_aLxxgOs7RQ
In another tweet by a user asking whether CM Bhagwant Mann was "drunk", Lufthansa News tweeted that it can't provide information regarding individual passengers due to data protection reasons.
"For data protection reasons we do not provide any information regarding individual passengers," Lufthansa News said in another tweet.
https://twitter.com/NilanjanS/status/1571767275602210816?s=20&t=92GU6X3z4xo_aLxxgOs7RQ
Earlier on Monday, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Singh Badal had levelled serious allegations against Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and asked him to clarify media reports of him being deplaned from a flight as he was "too drunk to walk" leading to a 4-hour delay in the flight.
"Disturbing media reports quoting co-passengers say Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann was deplaned from a 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 and shamed Punjabis all over the globe," tweeted Badal earlier in the day.
Reacting to this, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) also dismissed the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Singh Badal's charge that Mann was deplaned from the flight due to intoxication and said that the Opposition doesn't have issues to talk about and the Punjab Chief Minister had health problems.
Notably, Mann returned from his eight-day trip from Germany on Monday.
Responding to the allegations, AAP leaders Kuldeep Dhaliwal and Meet Hayer held a joint press conference and said, "Anyone can have health issues. The Opposition does not have any issues to talk about. That is why they are highlighting this issue which is meaningless and fake.
"Earlier, Badal slammed the Punjab government over their silence on the issue and sought clarifications on the incident. He also asked AAP leaders including party chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to come clean on the issue.
"Shockingly, the Punjab government is mum over these reports involving their CM Bhagwant Mann. Arvind Kejriwal needs to come clean on this issue. The government of India must step in as this involves Punjabi and national pride. If he was deplaned, the government of India must raise the issue with its German counterpart," he added.
Earlier on August 31, a delegation, including Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal, submitted a memorandum to Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit and demanded a CBI inquiry into the state excise policy alleging a scam in the policy.
"There has been a scam in Punjab Excise Policy just like it happened in Delhi. Just like the Delhi LG has ordered an inquiry into the Excise Policy case, we demand a CBI inquiry along the same lines in Punjab," said Badal.
"For the first time, profit in album license has been increased from 5 pc to 10 pc. So, we have demanded a CBI inquiry," he added.
Taking to Twitter, the SAD chief said that they have demanded CBI and ED probes in the Punjab excise policy.
"Submitted a memorandum to Punjab Governor and urged him to order CBI and ED probes in the Rs 500 crore scam committed by the AAP govt in Punjab through its "tailor-made" excise policy framed in line with Delhi policy, which has already been found illegal and case has been registered by CBI," he tweeted.
The Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi is facing the heat over its now withdrawn excise policy, with the BJP taking on the Kejriwal government and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who heads the excise department.