DUBAI, 10 April 2008 — A UAE-based businessman and a member of Indian Parliament P.V. Abdul Wahab has said he will raise the issue of his mistreatment by an Air India pilot in the Indian Parliament. The pilot reportedly ordered Abdul Wahab off the plane during a domestic flight “for being late.”
Abdul Wahab, a member of the upper house of Parliament (Rajya Sabha), said he was forced off the Kozhikode-Kochi flight Monday morning after an argument with the pilot, Rajat Rana.
“I will take up the issue with the Rajya Sabha chairman and move a privilege motion against the pilot,” said Abdul Wahab. The MP is on the parliamentary panel of the Union Aviation Ministry and is also one of the main persons behind the development of Calicut Airport.
Elected to the Rajya Sabha on an Indian Union Muslim League ticket in 2004, Abdul Wahab is a well-known non-resident Indian entrepreneur in the Gulf.
Meanwhile, the Indian Commercial Pilots Association backed the pilot saying what Capt. Rana did was what he thought was right. “We would protest if any action was taken against him.” The association also demanded that the MP apologize to Rana. The association will hold a press conference today.
Abdul Wahab said he arrived at the airport well ahead of the scheduled 8.55 a.m. departure. But the flight was rescheduled for 9.20 a.m. as it arrived late from Bahrain. “Around 9 a.m., the duty manager escorted me to the aircraft. Rana, who was waiting at the stairs, shouted at the manager saying he was delaying the flight by bringing passengers late,” the MP said.
“I am ashamed of these people who run the country, let him run the country and I will run the plane,” Abdul Wahab quoted the pilot as telling the duty manager.
“Then I decided to intervene. Rana told me it was none of my business. I replied he was only a glorified driver and shouldn’t equate himself with a people’s representative. He became angry and told the duty manager to get me off the plane. As I didn’t want to cause any inconvenience to other passengers, I decided to get down. I think the pilot was trying to make up for the 20-minute delay (from Bahrain) which was why this incident happened,” the MP said. “If this is the kind of treatment that a Parliament member is meted out then what can be said of a common man,” he asked.
