Ravindra Gaikwad reaches Mumbai, meets Uddhav

56-year-old Ravindra Gaikwad had assaulted Air India employee R Sukumar on March 23 after he landed in Delhi on a Pune-Delhi all-economy flight.

Mumbai, April 8: Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad, who was involved in a row with Air India, met party president Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday and explained his position over the issue.

The meeting, which lasted for 10 minutes at Shiv Sena's central office at Dadar here, came after Air India, and other airlines, lifted the flying ban on Gaikwad after he expressed regret for assaulting an AI employee on March 23. Neither Thakceray nor Gaikwad disclosed to reporters what transpired in the meeting.

Gaikwad, who arrived by the Rajdhani Express from Delhi this morning, would be meeting the Sena president at the latter's residence Matoshri in suburban Bandra later on Saturday.

The lawmaker boarded the train from Delhi on Friday evening, hours after the flying ban was lifted by the national carrier following a letter by the Osmanabad MP to the Union Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju on Thursday expressing "regret" over the "unfortunate incident".

The revocation of the ban came despite two AI unions of the cabin crew and pilots protesting the move to lift the restrictions imposed on the air travel of the MP.

However, an AI spokesman had said, "Air India is a subsidiary of the Ministry of Civil Aviation and, therefore, an apology to the ministry is akin to an apology to the airline and our employees."

The 56-year-old Parliamentarian had assaulted AI employee R Sukumar on March 23 after he landed in Delhi on a Pune-Delhi all-economy flight.

PTI