Hitting out at the Narendra Modi government over exorbitant air fares, the Congress on Saturday said that the Prime Minister’s remarks that people wearing hawaichappals (slippers) can now travel in planes sounds like a “cruel joke”.
In a statement, Congress general secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal said it was criminal to have lifted caps on airfares in August 2022 when the economy was in “doldrums”, and asked if the government has planned any intervention to ensure consumers did not suffer.
“PM Modi famously said that those wearing ‘Hawai chappals’ can travel on a ‘Hawai Jahaaz’ [aeroplanes]. With Delhi-Mumbai flights crossing ₹15,000 plus every day, his words sound like a cruel joke. These skyrocketing airfares are creating havoc among the middle class. The government’s complete free pass to the airlines, coupled with their rampant privatisation spree, is responsible for the dire situation today,” Mr. Venugopal alleged on Twitter.
The Congress leader, who was a junior Civil Aviation Minister during the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, said the Modi government had to face some “hard facts”.
“When the economy is in doldrums, it is criminal to lift the caps placed on airfare, like the government did in August ‘22. With Go First collapsing, and with SpiceJet barely flying any routes, why did the government have no strategy to correct this massive dip in the number of flights being flown?” Mr. Venugopal tweeted.
“Does the government have any concrete intervention planned to check these airfares? Why was the Ministry so apathetic to the people’s suffering that it allowed the flight prices from Bhubaneswar and Kolkata to go out of control when the Balasore train tragedy took place?” he asked.
”The government should ensure the high cost is not passed on to the consumers,” Mr. Venugopal said, noting that the taxes on aviation turbine fuel (ATF) were a “noose around the neck” of airlines.
On Monday, the Centre had asked airlines to devise a mechanism for ensuring reasonable airfares amid a surge in ticket prices, particularly on certain routes that were earlier served by Go First.
