Shashi Tharoor's "Switching Sides" Reply To J Scindia's "Armchair" Swipe

In a scathing comeback to Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia's armchair swipe, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said the BJP leader has adopted the "Modi Government's uncaring attitude to the public" since he switched sides.

Mr Scindia, who quit the Congress in 2020 to join the BJP, had earlier hit back at Mr Tharoor's posts on fliers' woes over the past couple of weeks due to flight delays and other lapses by airlines. Calling the Congress leader an "arm-chair critic", the minister had said sharing "selective" news articles does not count as research. He had cited data to show how the aviation sector has evolved under the Narendra Modi government.

Doubling down, Mr Tharoor posted on X this morning that he is not denying that there has been growth but is pointing out "evident shortcomings" in the government's planning and its failure to proactively tackle predictable problems.

Taking a dig at Mr Scindia's switch to the BJP, he said, "My dear @JM_Scindia, it's a pity that since switching sides you have adopted the Modi Government's uncaring attitude to the public. As @RahulGandhi said during the #BharatJodoNyayYatra, it's clear the suffering of the people is not the suffering of this Government."

"Crores worth of economic value lost, lakhs of lives disrupted, and thousands of people unable to go about their daily lives during this festive season - and all the Hon Minister can do is to engage in name-calling, Mr Tharoor added.

He said he is not denying that there has been "some growth" or blaming the government for the dense fog conditions that paralysed flight services, especially in North India. "I am pointing out that there are a number of evident shortcomings in the Govt's planning & its failure to take pro-active action on problems that could easily have been anticipated," he said.

Hitting back at the minister's armchair jibe, he said, "The Hon Minister would be better served by shifting his focus from my arm-chair and my diligent researchers to the agony of the passengers. Perhaps, then he would find time to fix the myriad incompetencies, absolute lack of preparation, and the glaring loopholes in his Ministry's functioning."

Earlier, Mr Tharoor had questioned why Delhi airport was not prepared well in advance for predictable foggy conditions in winter. In response, Mr Scindia had cited how pollution control exercises had delayed work and also said corrective actions are being taken for any laxity on the part of airlines.

Air travel services and air carriers have been in the news for the wrong reasons over the past couple of weeks. Besides hundreds of flights cancelled or delayed daily, lapses in timely and transparent communication to passengers and other services have also come to the fore.

In one case, an Air India flight was delayed by 17 hours and passengers were seen eating their meals on the tarmac. In another shocker, a passenger was locked in the toilet of a SpiceJet aircraft for the whole duration of a Mumbai-Bengaluru flight.

In some cases, passengers' rising tempers over delays led to unfortunate incidents. An IndiGo pilot was attacked by a passenger while he was announcing a delay. On the social media, many users, including public figures, have flagged poor services by air carriers despite charging high ticket prices.