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Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and senior Congress MP Mani Shankar Aiyar had a providential escape after a last minute change in travel plans to accompany Madhavrao Scindia, who died in a plane crash near Mainpuri in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday.
Scindia and seven others, including four journalists, were killed in the mishap.
While Dikshit developed fever, Aiyar was requested by Scindia to stay back since he wanted to take some journalists on the aircraft to attend a rally he planned to address in Kanpur.
"This morning I told him I was not feeling well and therefore, I could not come," Dikshit said after visiting the late leader's home to console the family. "It will be very difficult for the party to fill the void created by his untimely departure," she said.
Aiyar said Scindia had asked him whether he could stay back as he was taking some journalists. ''I said it is fine.'' Stunned after hearing the news about Scindia's death, Aiyar said there seemed to be some ''curse'' on the Congress party as it was losing young leaders one after another, a reference to Rajesh Pilot who died in a car accident near Jaipur last year.
PTI
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