Bhopal: BJP Lok Sabha MP Pragya Thakur blamed SpiceJet for the controversy over allotment of seat to her on a Delhi-Bhopal flight of the private airline and said Monday that she has complained to airport authorities here and will also raise the issue with the civil aviation minister.
A video purportedly showing the Bhopal MP locked in an argument on seat allotment with passengers on-board the flight Saturday has gone viral on social media.
SpiceJet said Thakur was asked by the crew on the Delhi-Bhopal flight to move to a non-emergency row seat as she was on a wheelchair but she refused, causing delay to the flight..
While some restless passengers requested Thakur to change her seat from the emergency row, which is not allocated to wheelchair-bound travellers, to a non-emergency row, others requested the crew to offload her as she was refusing to move to another place, a SpiceJet spokesperson had said Sunday.
Ultimately, the BJP MP acquiesced and moved to the seat on a non-emergency row. A source said the flight got delayed by approximately 45 minutes due to this matter.
In the about one-and-a-half-minute long video, irate passengers can be seen raising their voice over the flight delay.
Talking to reporters Monday, the BJP MP sought to blame the private airline for the entire episode. She said had paid extra money for the spacious seat that she was forced to vacate.
“I never violate any law, or allow others to do so. I have problem in my spinal cord and legs. So, I need a spacious seat. I came on a wheelchair, got boarding pass and was allotted A1 seat. I paid extra charge for this, Thakur said.
However, an air-hostess told her not to occupy that allotted place, saying it (A1) is an emergency seat, the MP said. The Lok Sabha member stated that she told the crew to show the rulebook about seats, but they didn’t respond.
PTI
