Pragya Thakur-SpiceJet row: BJP MP files plaint against airline for ‘misbehaviour’

Seemingly anguished Bharatiya Janata Party parliamentarian Pragya Thakur, after not having been allowed to sit on her pre-allotted seat, has lodged a formal complaint against SpiceJet.

The incident took place on December 21, when the lawmaker boarded a SpiceJet flight en route to Bhopal from Delhi. She booked seat number 1A but was made to change her seat for being mounted on a wheelchair. Thakur threw a fit and delayed the flight by nearly one hour, refusing to cooperate with fellow passengers and the cabin crew.

On December 22, a video of the verbal spat had gone viral, where fellow passengers could be heard schooling her about how she, being a public servant, should not inconvenience other fliers.

WATCH-
Passenger- “Aap Janta ke pratinidhi hai na, aapka kaam humein pareshan karna nahi hai”

Pragya: “Mera right First class hai”

This is what happened when BJP MP Pragya Thakur refused to change seats (as per airline safety rules) & caused a 45 minute delay #VIPDrama pic.twitter.com/T8DtGYGxUN

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— Zeba Warsi (@Zebaism) December 22, 2019

"I informed the authorities that the SpiceJet crew had misbehaved with me. This had happened once before as well and this time I was not even given the seat that was booked by me... Trains and flights are for the convenience of the public; therefore, as a public representative, it was my responsibility to file a complaint regarding this,” she added.

Meanwhile, SpiceJet authorities have clarified that, over safety concerns, they could not let the MP sit in front. Her seat was located next to the emergency exit and no airline allows unfit passengers to sit there, solely for emergency reasons, reported NDTV.

“SpiceJet had the privilege to have Pragya Thakur on board SpiceJet flight SG 2498 (Delhi-Bhopal) on December 21. She had booked seat number 1A and had come to the airport in a wheelchair. The aircraft she had boarded has the emergency seat in the first row and could not be allocated to a passenger on wheelchairs,” the airline said.

“Since it was Thakur’s own wheelchair and not one booked through Spice Jet, the staff wasn’t aware of the fact. When they learnt about her indisposition, she was requested to move back to 2 A/B, but she refused to oblige,” it added.