Beijing/Luoyang, May 29 (IANS) President Pratibha Patil’s flight from Beijing to Luoyang was delayed by 20 minutes Saturday as Lok Sabha MP Raghuvansh Prasad Singh arrived late to board the special Chinese aircraft.
Singh, who is from the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) party of Lalu Yadav, however, blamed mismanagement for the delay, saying he had not been informed about the boarding time.
President Patil was to take the flight at 9 a.m. but was delayed by 20 minutes.
‘There was confusion and mismanagement. That is why I got delayed and couldn’t be a part of the cavalcade that was taking the president to the Beijing airport,’ Prasad said.
‘I was not informed about what time I had to board the plane and I couldn’t handle the electronic key to the lift and the room,’ the former rural development minister said.
Since the special Chinese flight could not take off on time, other flights at the busy Beijing airport also got delayed, officials said.
Patil is on a six-day visit to China. The visit ends May 31.
In Luyoang, President Patil dedicated an Indian-style Buddhist temple, inspired by the Sanchi Stupa, to the Chinese people.
