On April 10, Mahila Congress President Netta D’Souze hackled Union Minister Smriti Irani on a Guwahati-bound flight. Netta herself posted the video on social media and said she confronted the minister over inflation. She started recording the video after the plane landed and passengers started de-boarding the flight.
Faced Modi Minister @smritiirani ji, enroute to Guwahati.
— Netta D’Souza (@dnetta) April 10, 2022
When asked about Unbearable Rising Prices of LPG, she blamed Vaccines, Raashan & even the poor!
Do watch the video excerpts, on how she reacted to common people’s misery ! 👇 pic.twitter.com/NbkW2LgxOL
In the video, she could be heard asking Irani about the rising prices of LPG, to which she replied that the Centre has been helping the poor through various welfare schemes, including free vaccines and free rations. When the conversation started in the aisle, Irani told Netta she was blocking the way for the other passengers, but she did not stop.
The video was cut and continued on the out of the pathway. At that time, Irani was also recording the video, but she had not released any footage yet or made any remarks about the hackling she faced during the flight. She mentioned that Netta was recording her without permission, but the Congress leader decided to laugh at it and said Irani was a public figure that apparently, according to her, made the actions justifiable.
Smriti Irani was lauded for handling the situation with composure
After the video went viral, several BJP leaders and netizens lauded the minister for the way she handled the situation. Vishnu Vardhan Reddy, State General Secretary of Andhra Pradesh BJP said, “Firstly,
Smriti Irani ji didn’t run away from your questions & tried to answer. Secondly, this sort of public haggling on a flight could be a safety threat and also it is not the right platform or place for raising such sort of concerns.
Firstly, @smritiirani ji didn’t run away from your questions & tried to answer.
— Vishnu Vardhan Reddy (@SVishnuReddy) April 10, 2022
Secondly, this sort of public haggling on a flight could be a safety threat and also it is not the right platform or place for raising such sort of concerns. https://t.co/h4oCVzWYFN
BJPYM National President Tejasvi Surya said, “This is absolutely unacceptable behaviour by Rahul Gandhi’s chelas. Just compare it with the grace, composure & dignity with which Smt Smriti Irani Ji handled the whole thing. A clear indication between the cultures of BJP & Congress.
This is absolutely unacceptable behaviour by Rahul Gandhi’s chelas.
— Tejasvi Surya (@Tejasvi_Surya) April 10, 2022
Just compare it with the grace, composure & dignity with which Smt @smritiirani Ji handled the whole thing.
A clear indication between the cultures of BJP & Congress. https://t.co/yNsDzKcaVG
Akhilesh Mishra, CEO of BlueKraft Digital Foundation said, “The video demonstrates only one thing. The extreme grace of Smriti Irani in contrast to the vile, hooligan behaviour of Rahul Gandhi acolyte. The reason is also understandable. Imagine being Rahul Gandhi and being routed in your family pocket. And made to run away!”
The video demonstrates only one thing. The extreme grace of @smritiirani in contrast to the vile, hooligan behaviour of @RahulGandhi acolyte.
— Akhilesh Mishra (@amishra77) April 10, 2022
The reason is also understandable. Imagine being Rahul Gandhi and being routed in your family pocket. And made to run away! https://t.co/pwhhjm9kxj
Author Shefali Vaidya said, “So Smriti Irani doesn’t have the right to travel in peace just coz she is a minister? Netta D’Souza was extremely rude and invasive. Credit to Smriti Irani for being so gracious and replying without losing her cool. Did Netta ever think of asking such questions to her Congress bosses?”
So @smritiirani doesn’t have the right to travel in peace just coz she is a minister? @dnetta was extremely rude and invasive. Credit to #smritiirani for being so gracious and replying without losing her cool. Did Netta ever think of asking such questions to her @INCIndia bosses?
— Shefali Vaidya. 🇮🇳 (@ShefVaidya) April 11, 2022
DGCA guidelines against unruly passengers
In September 2017, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued revised guidelines to handle unruly passengers. According to the guidelines, any unruly behaviour by the passengers that cause discomfort to other passengers and crew members may attract penal action. As per DGCA, an unruly passenger can be defined as a passenger “who fails to respect the rules of conduct at an airport or onboard an aircraft or to follow the instructions of the airport staff or crew members and thereby disturbs the good order and discipline at an airport or on board the aircraft.”
In case of an unruly act, the airlines must report the case immediately and file a First Investigation Report (FIR) against the unruly passenger. According to section 4.9 (d) of the guidelines, the indictive signs of unruly behaviour include:
- Use of any threatening or abusive language towards a member of the crew or other passengers;
- Behaving in a physically threatening, abusive and disorderly manner towards a member of the crew or other passengers;
- Intentionally interfering with the performance of the duties of a crew member.
There are three levels of unruly behaviour. The first level includes physical gestures and verbal harassment etc. The second level includes physical abusive behaviour. The third level includes life-threatening situations. Netta’s behaviour may fall under the first level of unruly behaviour. It is the responsibility of the pilot to inform the airlines about the incident. For a level 1 offence of an unruly act, the passenger can be put on the no-fly list for three months. In case of repeated offence, the passenger can be put on the no-fly list for double the time period mentioned in the guidelines. The guidelines were issued under Rule 22 (Assault and other acts of interference against a crew member), 23 (Assault and other acts endangering safety or jeopardizing good order and discipline) and 29 (Acts likely to imperil the safety of aircraft) of the Aircrafts Rule, 1937.
