New Delhi [India], February 22 : Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who raised the issue of the inconvenience he faced during the flight, has clarified that his remarks were not personal but for the benefit of all travellers.
Chouhan who was in Haryana's Kurukshetra to inspect the 180-acre natural farming farm as well as various projects of Gurukul Kurukshetra, speaking to media stressed that if passengers are paying for services, they should receive proper facilities.
"... It is not about me. If other passengers also suffer inconvenience, their (Air India's) management should know this so that such situations don't arise in the future...if money is being charged then facilities should be provided."
Ahead of this as the issue surfaced Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu swiftly responded to Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's complaint and immediately instructed Air India to take necessary action and personally spoke to Chouhan to address the issue.
"We spoke to Air India immediately on this issue and instructed them to take necessary action. From our side, DGCA will also be looking into the details of the matter promptly. And I have personally spoken to Shivraj ji also," said Naidu.
Notably, Shivraj Singh Chouhan had tweeted about his disappointing experience, stating that the seat was "sunk in" and uncomfortable. He also expressed frustration that Air India's service hadn't improved despite Tata taking over the management.
Sharing his experience on X, he wrote, "Today I had to come from Bhopal to Delhi, inaugurate the Kisan Mela in Pusa, hold a meeting of the Natural Farming Mission in Kurukshetra, and discuss with the representatives of the Kisan Organisation in Chandigarh. I had booked a ticket on Air India flight number AI436, I was allotted seat number 8C. I went and sat on the seat, the seat was broken and sunken in. It was uncomfortable to sit." He also questioned Air India's management, saying, "When I asked the airline staff why the seat was allotted to me if it was bad, they told me that the management had been informed earlier that this seat was not good and its ticket should not be sold. There is not just one seat but many more."
Chouhan expressed further disappointment with Air India's service after Tata took over, and wrote, "My impression was that Air India's service would have improved after Tata took over the management, but it turned out to be my misconception. I don't care about sitting discomfort, but it is unethical to make passengers sit on bad and uncomfortable seats after charging them the full amount. Isn't this cheating the passengers?"
He urged corrective action, saying, "Will the Air India management take steps to ensure that no passenger faces such inconvenience in future, or will it continue to take advantage of the passengers' compulsion to reach their destination early?"
Air India apologized for the inconvenience and assured us that they are looking into the matter to prevent similar occurrences in the future. In response, Air India apologised on X, and said, "Dear Sir, we apologise for the inconvenience caused. Please be rest assured that we are looking into this matter carefully to prevent any such occurrences in the future. We would appreciate the opportunity to speak with you, 'kindly DM us a convenient time to connect'."
The incident sparked a reaction from the Congress party, which criticized the government's handling of issues in the aviation and railway sectors.