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Banned by domestic airlines, TDP MP flies to Europe as govt orders probe
Telugu Desam Party MP J C Diwakar Reddy who kicked up a storm with hostile behaviour at Visakhapatnam airport on Thursday has reportedly told his party leadership that he would not apologise to IndiGo airline.
Telugu Desam Party MP J C Diwakar Reddy, who is in the eye of a storm over his alleged unruly behaviour with IndiGo Airlines staff at Visakhapatnam airport, left for Paris late Friday night on a holiday even as the civil aviation ministry ordered inquiry into the flight fracas.
Party sources said Reddy, along with his 12-member family contingent took a 9:50 pm Emirates Flight to Paris via Dubai. He would be touring different countries of Europe.
“It is purely his personal trip and was booked well in advance. It has nothing to do with the Thursday’s incident at Visakhapatnam,” sources said.
Reddy allegedly shouted at Indigo staff and pushed employees before throwing a printer because he was denied boarding for arriving late on Thursday.
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.
Reddy, who represents Anantapur constituency, has reportedly told his party leadership that there was no question of tendering any apology to the airlines staff, notwithstanding the ban by all the major airlines in the country on his domestic air travel.
Read more: In Gaikwad rerun, domestic airlines bar ‘unruly’ TDP MP Diwakar Reddy
He conveyed the same to his colleague in Parliament C M Ramesh, who advised him to tender an apology to end the controversy.
Ramesh was deputed by party president and Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu to defuse the crisis.
The Anantapur MP, however, told the party leadership that since the civil aviation ministry had ordered an inquiry into the incident, he would disclose what had happened only during the probe. He also made it clear that he would fight for his rights by raising the issue in Parliament, sources added.
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.
