Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren and his wife MLA Kalpana Soren were denied permission to land their helicopter in West Bengal’s Jhargram on Sunday due to unscheduled “jhalmuri” stop by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleged Trinamool Congress on Monday. 

Hemant Soren and Kalpana Soren were reportedly made to wait for hours and ultimately had to return to Ranchi, given Prime Minister Modi’s “extended snack break and photo opportunities,” the party said.

“Because the ‘Pradhan Sevak’ decided to extend his stay in Jhargram to eat Jhalmuri, Jharkhand Chief Minister Shri Hemant Soren and his wife and MLA Smt. Kalpana Soren was denied permission to fly their chopper into Jhargram while Modi was present,” the TMC wrote on X.

“Two democratically elected leaders. Grounded. Kept waiting for hours. And ultimately forced to return to Ranchi without completing their scheduled programme, all because a Prime Minister’s extended snack break and photo-ops took precedence,” party added.

“This is the respect Modi has for Adivasi leaders. This is the regard he has for elected representatives who do not bend the knee before him,” the TMC further said.

During his election campaign in West Bengal’s Jhargram on Sunday, PM Modi stopped at a roadside stall. He also posted a video on his X handle, and wrote,  “Jhalmuri Break in Jhargram”.

In another post, PM Modi said he stopped between four rallies in West Bengal to enjoy some “delicious jhalmuri.”

“He came to Jhargram to court the Adivasi vote,” the TMC said in their post later on Sunday. The PM’s “Adivasi-Birodhi mindset” was exposed, alleged party, adding “Bengal saw it. And Bengal will remember it on 4th May.”

The election in West Bengal scheduled in two phases on April 23 and April 29, while the results will be announced on May 4th along with the results announcement for Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. 

During his election campaign in Jhargram, PM Modi said the TMC aimed to form a government “of infiltrators and for infiltrators.”