Scindia exposes 'Congress fault line' for Air India mess
New Delhi
"I was silent about this, did not want to say anything about Air India but you want to speak about truth... so now can hear the truth,” said Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia in Lok Sabha exposing the Congress-led UPA regime's fault line for the mess the national carrier had landed.
He said in Lok Sabha that the decision to merge Air India and Indian Airlines with completely different work cultures, purchase of 111 aircraft, liberalisation of bilateral rights when Indian air carriers did not have the capacity to fulfill it pushed Air India to post a daily loss of Rs 20 crore.
Responding to the debate on the 'Demands for Grants of the Aviation Ministry.' Scindia raised questions on the former PM Manmohan Singh-led UPA government, which was in power at the Centre till 2014 on measures taken by them to revive and support the aviation company.
"Before 2005, Air India was making a profit of Rs 15 crore per annum and Indian Airlines was making profit of Rs 50 crore. These airlines were made to purchase 111 aircraft at a cost of Rs 50-55,000 crore which pushed the national carrier into deep debts," Mr Scindia said.
Scindia, a former Congress leader himself, blasted his former party for neglecting the issues of ‘country’s Navratnas.’
As opposition members including Gaurav Gogoi of Congress stood up in protest, Mr Scindia said he had not referred to Air India at all, but was forced to speak after Trinamool leader Sudeep Bandyopadhaya and Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury raised the issue.
"After the purchase of 111 aircraft during the UPA government and the merger of Air India and Indian Airlines, the condition of Air India went on deteriorating," he said.
Scindia lashed out at the UPA regime for their ‘wrong decisions’ that led to the dilapidated financial situation of the air flier. Even Congress president Sonia Gandhi was present in the House.
He said under UPA, "Air India's losses kept on increasing".
"Due to the wrong decisions taken during the UPA government, the financial condition of Air India continued to deteriorate, the losses kept increasing. Air India, which was in profit of 14-15 crores in 2005-06, had to face a loss of 85 thousand crores in the next 14 years," the Union Minister said.
Scindia also addressed the concerns voiced by some MPs including N K Premachandran of RSP from Kerala about the future of Air India employees..
"As per the agreement of disinvestment with Tata on Air India, the employees cannot be fired and if he wants to remove someone after one year, then that too can be done only through VRS scheme, the government is committed to providing medical facilities to Air India employees based on CGHS and NHA," he informed.
He said the losses of 14 years had accumulated to Rs 85,000 crore, the equity infusion had cost the government Rs 54,000 crore, grants to the airline totalling Rs 50,000 crore and net debt of Rs 66,000 crore had left Air India staring at a chasm of Rs 2.5 lakh crore.
"It is under these circumstances the Prime Minister took a decision to put an end to these losses. He decided on disinvestment of Air India to protect the money of 135 crore Indians and put it to good use through schemes such as Ujjwala, Jal Jeevan Mission," Scindia said.
Of course, what remains to be stated that under Manmohan Singh Praful Patel of NCP and a Sharad Pawar loyalist was the Civil Aviation Minister between May 23, 2004 and Jan 18, 2011.
The portfolio then went to Vayalar Ravi of Congress.
In fact, Patel had lost 2004 Lok Sabha polls but as the UPA returned to power, Pawar had decided to make Praful Patel the Civil Aviation Minister.
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"Hope Mamata Govt will punish wrongdoers of Birbhum carnage," says PM
New Delhi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday categorically said that he is 'hopeful'
that the state government in West Bengal will definitely punish all the wrongdoers of Birbhum carnage.
"Mein asha karta hoo ki rajya sarkar Bangal ke pavitra dharti par aisa jhaganya paap
karne walon ko jaroor saza dilai gi (I would like to express hope that the state government will certainly act and punish those responsible for such heinous crime in the sacred land of Bengal)," the Prime Minister said.
Condemning the unprecedented and gory episode, he said, people should never forgive those who 'encourage' those elements who were responsible for the death of women and children by burning them alive in Birbhum.
"I would like to urge the people of West Bengal also should never forgive those who encourage (housla barane walon ki) these elements," Mr Modi said in his speech for an official function in Kolkata.
West Bengal Governor also condemned the incident in strongest term.
"I will not say a word on that because the PM Narendra Modi has spoken on this. Looking at the enormity of the carnage - we have not seen such kind of carnage in recent history," Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar said.
"Nothing can be more painful in a democracy than women and children being burnt alive. I will say no more on the issue," he said.
Congress floor leader in Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, has written a letter to President Ram Nath Kovind seeking immediate intervention from the centre.
"In view of the deteriorating law and order situation in West Bengal, I request you to
invoke Article 355 of the Constitution to ensure that the Government of West Bengal
is carried on in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution," Chowdhury wrote.
While invoking Article 356 means dismissal of the state government and imposition of President's Rule, the Article 355 of the Constitution says that “It shall be the duty of the Union to protect every State against external aggression and internal disturbance and to ensure that the government of every State is carried on in accordance with the provisions of this Constitution".
The Trinamool Congress regime has come under attack from other quarters as well.
BJP MP Arjun Singh said, "There is an atmosphere of terror here, villages are deserted. Shameful that this government let several innocent people die. Policemen kept standing and did nothing. Mamata Banerjee should resign immediately".
He also demanded that the case be handed over to the CBI or NIA.
The Union Home Ministry has already sought a detailed report from the state and a BJP
delegation, a special team of BJP leaders, comprising Bharti Ghosh, Sukanta Majumder
and Satyapal Singh, will leave for Birbhum on Wednesday and later submit an on-the-
spot report to party president J P Nadda.
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