America
Flight delay row: Fadnavis threatens defamation cases
Mumbai, July 2
Irked by reports that he was
allegedly responsible for delaying an Air India flight to the US,
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday hit back with
threats to file criminal defamation cases.
"Enough is enough.
Once I am back to India I will initiate proceedings of criminal
defamation," Fadnavis warned in a tweet during his ongoing business tour
of the US.
"The allegation that I forced to delay the flight to
New York is false & misleading. I totally deny it," a tweet said
after the controversy erupted on the 57-minute delay to the
Mumbai-Newark service on Monday.
The flight delay took place when
Pravin Pardeshi, principal secretary in the Chief Minister's Office,
who was also travelling in the entourage, was stopped from boarding as
he was not carrying his passport with a valid US visa.
"If at all
any report that has been submitted states that I refused to travel
without my delegation, then it is a blatant lie because passengers
sitting besides and behind me are witness that I was sitting quietly
waiting for departure. Not even once I asked to offload me," Fadnavis
tweeted.
However, Air India later clarified that the delay was on
account of multiple factors, including air traffic control and other
issues.
The Prime Minister's Office on Thursday sought a report from the civil aviation ministry on the issue.
The
ministry in turn asked Air India to submit reports on two incidents --
the second one involving union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren
Rijiju and others on a Leh-Delhi flight on June 24.
Rijiju on
Thursday apologised for the incident in which three passengers were
asked to de-board to accommodate him and his aides at Leh, besides a
delay in the flight.