Domestic airlines bar ‘unruly’ TDP MP; govt orders probe
HYDERABAD: The government on Friday ordered an inquiry into alleged misbehaviour by Telugu Desam Party MP JC Diwakar Reddy at Vishakhapatnam airport as all domestic airlines banned the politician following uproar over his conduct.
Eyewitnesses said Reddy, the MP from Anantapur, shouted at Indigo staff and pushed employees before throwing a printer because he was denied boarding for arriving late.
Reddy’s alleged misconduct came two months after Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad sparked widespread criticism for assaulting an elderly Air India employee. Gaikwad apologized before Parliament after all airlines came together to ground him and pushed the government to draft a national no-fly list. Full-service carrier Vistara and budget airlines -- GoAir and AirAsia India -- on Friday barred Reddy from their flights. Air India, SpiceJet and Jet Airways followed IndiGo on Thursday, which imposed the flying ban on him. “After careful consideration of the various issues and ramifications of the actions of Reddy, GoAir has also taken a decision of not accepting any further bookings for the said passenger,” the airline said in a statement.
Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu also asked Reddy to apologise and sources said the TDP chief spoke to Raju. Reddy, however, refused to talk to react on the ban imposed by the airlines. “There is nothing I can talk. You have already ruined me. I don’t want to talk to media anymore. Please leave me alone,” Reddy told the media at his residence.
On Thursday, Reddy was scheduled to fly IndiGo’s flight 6E-608, which departs from Visakhapatnam at 8.10 am, to Hyderabad.
But he reached just 28 minutes before the scheduled departure, according to the airline. As per norms laid out by the aviation regulator, airlines close check-in counters for all domestic fights 45 minutes prior to departure.