'Am not terrorist': Charanjit Channi on being denied permission to fly amid PM's visit to Jalandhar

"Charanjit Channi is a Chief Minister, he's not a terrorist that you are stopping him from flying to Hoshiarpur! This is not the way," an apparently furious Channi told reporters.

According to reports, he waited for more than an hour for his helicopter to be cleared for flight as a "no-fly zone" was enforced since PM Modi was visiting Jalandhar.

Channi was supposed to take a chopper from Chandigarh to Hoshiarpur for Rahul Gandhi's rally. After waiting that long, he finally returned home from the helipad.

"I was in Una at 11 am but suddenly permission to fly (to Hoshiarpur) was denied due to PM Modi's movement, it was declared a no-fly zone. I was not able to attend Rahul Gandhi's rally in Hoshiarpur. I had permission to land," Channi was quoted as telling news agency ANI on what is quickly becoming a huge political row.

Rahul Gandhi's chopper was, however, allowed to land in Hoshiarpur.

"The Chief Minister was scheduled to come here but it's shameful that this government cancelled permission for Charanjit Singh Channi to come to Hoshiarpur. If Election Commission doesn't take cognisance of this, I'll understand that these polls are a farce, a sham," Congress leader Sunil Jakhar told media.

PM Modi addressed a rally in Jalandhar in his first visit to Punjab since a security breach last month.