A Big ticket reform by the Modi Govt
New Delhi:
It's truly a momentous occasion in Indian aviation history.
It is the making of history in 'New India'.
"Welcome Back, Air India," tweeted an emotional Tata Sons Chairman Emeritus
Ratan Tata on Friday, Oct 8, and also posted a photograph of the company’s former chairman JRD Tata getting down from an Air India flight, minutes decades back.
For the Modi government, the decision would thus go down the memory lane as a major 'big ticket reform'.
The 'Maharaja' now returns to the Tatas nearly 70 years (precisely 68 years) after it was nationalised in 1953. Air India was floated by JRD and belonged to Tatas.
The home coming of Maharaja - who has been sick - but was India's national carrier would cost Tata Sons Rs 18,000 crore.
"On an emotional note, Air India, under the leadership of Mr JRD Tata had, at one time, gained the reputation of being one of the most prestigious Airlines in the world. Tatas will have the opportunity of regaining the image and reputation enjoyed in earlier years. MR JRD Tata would have been overjoyed if he was in our midst today," Ratan Tata wrote.
The running of the show would be much challenging part of the new role.
The 'winning bid' was much easier. Official sources say - The Maharaja has been reeling under a massive debt that stands close to Rs 70,000 crore. Air India at present understandably loses Rs 20 crore per day.
But the pact have certain conditions too. Tata Sons will have to retain all current employees of Air India for a one year period, the central government said. From the second year, Air India employees will have to be offered a VRS. Further, gratuity benefits and PF benefits will be applicable.
The reserve price set by the government for Air India was Rs 12,906 crore, DIPAM Secretary Tuhin Kanta Pandey said.
BJP leaders were enthusiastic on their part.
"DIPAM Secretary, Mr Tuhin Kanta Pandey says taxpayers have put in Rs 110,276 crores into AirIndia since 2009 to fund losses. Just imagine what PM Modi has saved for India," tweeted BJP national Yuva Morcha President, Tejasvi Surya.
Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia tweeted: "Air India’s return to Tata Companies marks a new dawn for the airline! My best wishes to the new management".
The Tata Group has evinced interest in acquiring the airline in the past too including in 2001 along with Singapore Airlines but the bid was withdrawn.
Big ticket reform
Thus, Ratan Tata's statement said - “We also need to recognize and thank the government for its recent policy of opening select industries to the private sector".
Air India has been in losses ever since its merger with domestic operator Indian Airlines in 2007. Air India was founded by the Tata Group in 1932 and was nationalised in 1953 during the stint of first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.
Tata Sons will pay Rs 18,000 crore for the Maharaja, outbidding a consortium led by SpiceJet’s Ajay Singh who had bid Rs 15,100 crore.
The transaction is expected to be close by end of December this year.
The national carrier has at present 127 aircraft, controlling 50.64 per cent of the International market share.
Tatas also owns about 84% stake in AirAsia India and 51% in Vistara. Air India now serves 42 international destinations.
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'Embarrassed' Congress reminds Mamata of Nandigram humiliation !
New Delhi: Even a party like the Congress can get it on its patience.
"People looking for a “national” alternative based on poaching INC (Congress party) functionaries who can’t win even their own seats is in for a big disappointment," came a tweet from Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel.
Yes, notwithstanding the facade of 'sickularism', the target of the micro blogging site posting
has been Mamata Banerjee and her Trinamool Congress.
The West Bengal-based 'outfit' was snubbed by Delhi crowd in 2013 at Ram Lilla Ground,
but some lessons are hardly learnt.
The 'national ambition' has made Ms Banerjee and her party arrogant to an extent and also 'ruthless'
and thus harming the Congress more.
Did PM Narendra Modi not promise - 'Congress mukt Bharat'? Trinamool is helping out in all that !
Senior Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury says, Ms Baneree's outfit is doing to
help the Modi government 'indirectly'.
Thus, Congress Chief Minister Baghel's tweet has a political significance.
He further wrote - "Unfortunately, to become a national alternative deep-rooted and concerted efforts
are needed and there are no quick- fix solutions".
The Trinamool Congress has started poaching the Congress in Tripura, Assam, Goa and Meghalaya.
It thinks by weakening Congress, the Bengal outfit would capture 'national space' and emerge as a viable
alternative to the BJP and Prime Minister Modi.
Incidentally, Baghel's tweet came within hours 'poll-strategist' Prashant Kishor also had
tweeted: "People looking for a quick, spontaneous revival of GOP led opposition based on
Lakhimpur-Kheri incident are setting themselves up for a big disappointment".
Unfortunately there are no quick fix solutions to the deep-rooted problems and structural weakness of GOP."
And as they, drama has just begun.
Prashant Kishor is now said to be 'close' to Mamata and his missive was directed against the Congress,
with whom he did a rather failed business in 2017.
Some Congress insiders say Mamata Banerjee has time and again made use of Congress
and when her work was done, she has betrayed the grand old party and humiliated the
top leaders.
She benefited in 2009 and joined the UPA-2, but quit the government triggering
row over Manmohan Singh government's FDI policy on retail.
"Mamata is nothing more than an opportunistic flying bird," says a former Trinamool leader
- who is now in the BJP.
Thus, from Congress point of view perhaps - Mamata's bluff should be called and she should not
be given any mileage and soft-spot to "encash in 2024 at the cost of Congress party and its prestige".
The Congress has their reasons to be annoyed with Mamata, as she has poached into Congress camp in
Goa by taking Luizinho Faleiro.
Mamata's party hardly exists in Goa, and she has done poaching of several Congress leaders in Tripura.
In Assam, the Trinamool Congress took away Sushmita Dev, the all-India Mahila Congress
chief and who was seen as a trusted lieutenant of Rahul Gandhi.
But Mamata has taken her and also given the Rajya Sabha berth.
That only means the 'poaching' is happening with a plan and applying 'give and take' formula.
Certain developments only force one to raise the eyebrows further.
Even Rahul Gandhi has made some noise saying while his sister Priyanka was stopped
and arrested, a Trinamool delegation of five MPs including Mamata's close aides Dola Sen and Kakoli Ghosh
Dastidar were allowed by the UP police to go to Lakhimpur Kheri.
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