New Delhi: Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad, who is facing criticism for his alleged unruly behaviour with an Air India staff, on Wednesday said in Lok Sabha that he would apologise to Parliament, but not to the official of the national carrier.
Remaining defiant, Gaikwad, who has been banned from flying by Air India and private airlines in the country after he beat an Air India manager with a slipper, said, “What wrong did I do? What is my crime?”
As Shiv Sena MPs cheered on from their desks, Gaikwad claimed that he “peacefully” asked the Air India official for a complaints book in which he could enter his objections, but was treated with disrespect and then “grabbed by the collar.”
“I am a teacher by profession. Humility is in my nature,” the Osmanabad MP claimed.
“This behavior was unacceptable… It was only after he insulted the PM and the Parliament that I got upset and hit him. Only that clip was shown to the public,” he claimed.
Responding to Gaikwad’s speech, Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju told Parliament that safety of passengers aboard aircraft cannot be compromised.
