Thiruvananthapuram, Jul 18 (IANS): Left Convenor E.P.Jayarajan on Monday pledged never to fly in IndiGo after the airlines banned him for three weeks over manhandling of two Congress youths in the flight.
The action was initiated on account of the June 13 incident when he allegedly manhandled two Congress youths who were protesting against Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in the flight.
The young protesters have also been banned for two weeks.
While Jayarajan first said he has no knowledge about the ban, one of the youth protesters told the media that he got a mail from the airlines on Saturday banning him for two weeks.
"I am yet to get any information from the airlines," said Jayarajan to the media on Monday and later asserted that going forward, he will never again travel by IndiGo.
"I was the one who prevented the protesters from reaching Vijayan. They should have awarded me for it. Instead, I have been penalised. This is a dirty airlines and hence from now onwards, I will never again travel in it," said Jayarajan, who added that he is yet to get the letter banning him.
When pointed out that no other airline from the state capital flies to Kannur- his home town, Jayarajan who is known for his tongue in cheek remarks, hit back by stating, "Even if I walk from here to Kannur, I will not travel again in IndiGo."
With this fresh action imposed by the airline which announced its own internal probe by a retired Judge and two other people, the campaign by the CPI-M led Left Front top brass that the Youth Congress workers was planning for an attempt on the life of Vijayan appears to have turned nothing but a political allegation.
Congress Lok Sabha member from Ernakulum- Hibi Eden said just see the action taken by the airline.
"While Jayarajan has been handed out a three week ban, the Youth Congress workers who merely shouted slogans were given a two-week ban, which clearly shows the gravity of the crime. Just see, how the Kerala Police has conducted their probe. While they gave a clean chit to Jayarajan, the charges registered against the Youth Congress workers are all grave crimes. This double standard of the Kerala Police has now been exposed," said Eden.
Meanwhile, this airlines' report comes at a time when State Youth Congress vice-president and two time former Congress legislator K.S.Sabarinadhan has been served a notice to appear before the police probe team probing the 'attack' on Vijayan after chat messages between him and a few local Youth Congress leaders surfaced.
Snubbed by the airline's report, Kannur CPI-M district secretary M.V.Jayarajan on Monday demanded that the police conduct a detailed probe after the involvement of Sabarinadhan and other Youth wing leaders of the Congress party has surfaced by way of messages.
The IndiGo Thiruvananthapuram airport manager's first report that when its flight arrived here from Kannur, three Youth Congress workers protested against Chief Minister Vijayan who was on the flight, has been dismissed as rubbish by the Congress.
An angry Leader of Opposition V.D.Satheesan called up Varun Dwivedi, Associate Vice-President of the airline and expressed his displeasure.
Hearing the complaint, the top official asked Satheesan to give a complaint in writing and it would be looked up and it was after that things changed.
The incident occurred on June 13 when Vijayan was returning from Kannur and the flight had landed.
Even though Jayarajan who was also onboard the flight pushed down the two Congress workers who twice shouted slogans had first said the sloganeering took place after Vijayan had alighted from the aircraft, later changed his stand, so was the CPI-M state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, who also said what Jayarajan had said and then retracted.
Jayarajan soon after the incident while speaking to a TV channel said the Youth Congress workers were fully drunk, but later changed it and said they might have been drunk.