DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran was in for a surprise when he boarded an Indigo flight from Delhi to Chennai. The flight was piloted by BJP MP Rajiv Kumar Rudy and Maran described how he was pleasantly surprised to find the captain of the flight was one of his fellow parliamentarians.
“I boarded the Indigo flight 6E864 from Delhi to Chennai after attending a meeting of the Parliamentary Estimates Committee. I happened to sit in the first row, as the crew declared that the boarding had completed. ‘So you are travelling in this flight as well!’ said a person dressed in the Captain’s uniform,” the DMK MP said.
“I could not recognize him with his mask on, although his voice sounded familiar. I nodded my head, still wondering who it could be. He looked at me and his eyes gave away the smile behind the mask,” Maran said. “So you don’t recognize me”, the pilot exclaimed.
In a series of tweets, Maran described how he was set back in his heels on finding that Rajiv Pratap Rudy was captaining his flight to Chennai.
A Flight to remember.
— Dayanidhi Maran தயாநிதி மாறன் (@Dayanidhi_Maran) July 13, 2021
July 13, 2021
I boarded the Indigo flight 6E864 from Delhi to Chennai after attending a meeting of the parliamentary Estimates Committee. I happened to sit in the first row, as the crew declared that the boarding had completed.
1/7 pic.twitter.com/pwfsW39fDC
At first, Maran was puzzled to find a pilot asking him if he recognises him. Moments later, he realised the man behind the mask was none other than his colleague and former Union minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy.
Maran was in Delhi to participate in a meeting of the Parliamentary Estimates Committee. Two hours before the flight, Maran and Rudy were a part of an intense discussion in the meeting, the DMK MP revealed in a Twitter post later. “I couldn’t believe my eyes, seeing his transformation from a politician to a pilot,” Maran said.
“I could only say that I was honoured to be flown by my good friend and colleague… A flight to remember indeed!” Maran said.
“How often does a sitting Member of Parliament captain a commercial flight? I’m sure I will be talking about this for a long time. Thank you Captain @RajivPratapRudy, MP for flying us safely from Delhi to Chennai!” he added.
Rajiv Pratap Rudy, a BJP MP from Bihar and former civil aviation minister, frequently flies commercial planes. He is also the national spokesperson for the BJP and has served as Minister of State when Maran’s father, Murasoli Maran, was Union Minister for Commerce.
Rudy later responded to Maran in a series of tweets in Tamil and expressed his pleasure and surprise over Maran being a passenger in his piloted craft on Tuesday. Remembering his days with Murasoli Maran, Rudy also hailed Dayanidhi as a “successful aviation entrepreneur and union minister”.
நன்றி திரு. தயாநிதி மாறன் அவர்களே. பாராளுமன்றத்தில் நம் சந்திப்பிற்கு பிறகு, விமானம் எண் 6E864ல் டெல்லியில் இருந்து சென்னைக்கு நீங்கள் சக பயணியாக வந்தது எனக்கு ஆச்சரியமாகவும் மகிழ்ச்சியாகவும் இருந்தது. (1/3) https://t.co/eLWLG5lp4V
— Rajiv Pratap Rudy (@RajivPratapRudy) July 14, 2021
“Thank you Mr Dayanidhi Maran. After our meeting in Parliament, I was surprised and happy that you came as a fellow passenger on flight number 6E864 from Delhi to Chennai,” Rudy tweeted in Tamil.
BJP MP Manoj Tiwari posted a video of Rajiv Pratap Rudy making the announcement and interacting with the passengers before taking off.
15 July 21, आज वो हुआ जो याद रहेगा..
— Manoj Tiwari (@ManojTiwariMP) July 15, 2021
आज हमारी संसदीय समिति महाबलीपुरम से केरल में कोच्चि पहुँची.. केरल के सभी बन्दरगाहों व एयरपोर्ट के प्रमुख पदाधिकारियों से महत्वपूर्ण मीटिंग हुई..विकास,विकास तथा विकास को समर्पित @narendramodi सरकार।सांसद समिति द्वारा बहुत कुछ कर सकते हैं pic.twitter.com/XYJWAxc79b
In the announcement, Rudy spoke about him piloting the aircraft and read out the names of several passengers to greet them. He also named the youngest passengers, 6 month old daughter of Manoj Tiwari.
