Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad

loutish behavior on an Air India flight last week

Violent behaviour disastrous for airlines: Govt on Sena MP Gaikwad

NEW DELHI:The government today implicitly defended domestic airlines' ban on, whosestunned the country."The rules are the same for everyone," was the unequivocal comment by the aviation minister. "We have good safety regulations but never in my dreams expected an MP to be caught (doing this). Violence of any kind can be a disaster for airlines," civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju said in the Lok Sabha.Last Thursday, Gaikwad hit a 60-year-old Air India staffer 25 times with his footwear on a Pune-Delhi flight. Not just that, he then bragged to reporters about it. "I hit him 25 times with my sandal," Gaikwad strutted.Minister Gajapathi Raju has been consistently disapproving of what the Sena MP did. A day after the incident he said such an episode ought not to have occurred at all."No political party will endorse such an act. Any citizen hitting an airline staffer doesn't make any sense... No political party will encourage physical assault. It should never have happened," the minister said last Friday. He added that lawmakers are not above the law.Meanwhile, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan said that hopefully a solution can be taken out through talks.“Its a different matter whose fault it is and what happened but an MP needs to come to the House sometimes by train and also by plane.” She said, adding, "A hearing is awaited in the matter in the Sabha on Wednesday."Gaikwad had a business class ticket but the particular plane he was traveling on had only an economy class section. Enraged that he had to sit in economy, he beat up the AI staffer. And not only did he brag about assaulting the staffer, it also turned out he was told while reserving his ticket that the flight he's booking didn't have a business class section.Gaikwad's party, the Shiv Sena , has defended him throughout since Thursday's episode. It alleged its MP was just reacting to being treated badly himself. It seems particularly peeved that all the airlines, and not just Air India, banned Gaikwad."It's illogical that the other four airlines also put Gaikwad on a no-fly list. He is not a criminal," said Manisha Kayande, Shiv Sena spokesperson, today. Six domestic carriers, including Air India, grounded Gaikwad, putting him on a 'no-fly list'. The other airlines were Indigo, SpiceJet, GoAir, Jet Airways and Vistara.The Sena also indulged in some 'whataboutery'."Even (comedian) Kapil Sharma misbehaved on a flight after getting drunk but no ban was imposed on him," said Sena MP Anandrao Adsul in the Lok Sabha today.He was referring to the comedian getting sloshed on a recent Australia-India flight. Air India sources told TOI that they are indeed contemplating action against Sharma.