Shiv Sena MPs gherao civil aviation minister over flying ban

It was a complete ‘dadagiri’ in Lok Sabha as Shiv Sena MPs surrounded Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapati Raju over the flying ban on party MP Ravindra Gaikwad.

Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad who was banned by several airines for assaulting an Air India staffer, claimed his innocence in the Lok Sabha and said that he was a victim of a media trial.

The incident happened after the Lok Sabha was adjourned by Speaker Sumitra Mahajan till 12.45 p.m. over the Sena protest. The Lok Sabha witnessed an altercation between two ministers over the airline travel ban on Gaikwad. The scenes turned ugly in the Lok Sabha as Shiv Sena MPs tried to gherao with civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju.

The two nearly came to blows before Smriti Irani and Rajnath Singh intervened and caught hold of Geethe before he reached Raju. They later took Raju and Union Minister Ananth Geethe with them to the Speaker's chamber.

Sources said that Speaker Mahajan discussed the issue with the leaders. Sena MPs were agitated over a statement of the Civil Aviation Minister, who reiterated that the ban was not aimed at a Member of Parliament, but for a passenger and safety was most important in flights.

This led to a protest by Sena members, and the House was adjourned.

Gaikwad, the Osmanabad MP, had last month abused and assaulted a 60-year-old duty manager of the national carrier with slippers for not being able to fly business class despite having boarded an all-economy Pune-New Delhi flight.

OneIndia News (with IANS inputs)