CPI(M) MP A A Rahim Blames Government for Soaring Airfare
Rahim accuses PM Modi regime of creating dangerous aviation duopoly.
CPI(M) Rajya Sabha member A A Rahim on Wednesday launched a blistering attack on the Union Government, declaring it solely responsible for the ongoing aviation crisis that has left thousands stranded and fares skyrocketing, rather than blaming IndiGo alone. Speaking during Zero Hour, he described the chaos as the inevitable outcome of unchecked privatisation and deregulation that has transformed India’s skies into a near-monopoly controlled by two corporate giants.
Rahim highlighted stark market concentration figures, stating IndiGo now commands 65.6 percent of domestic capacity while the Tata-owned Air India group holds 25.7 percent, meaning over 90 percent of Indian aviation is dictated by just two entities. He accused the government of deliberately engineering this duopoly through its neo-liberal policies while dismantling public sector carrier Air India under the pretext of inefficiency.
The Left MP dismissed official claims that privatising Air India would revolutionise service quality and safety, asserting instead that both major private players have delivered deteriorating standards. He charged Tata’s Air India with shamelessly profiteering from IndiGo’s operational meltdown rather than stepping in to stabilise the market.
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Rahim cited his personal experience of finding a Delhi-Thiruvananthapuram economy ticket priced at ₹64,783 on Wednesday morning despite a government directive capping fares above 1,500 km at ₹18,000. He questioned the administration’s complete lack of enforcement power over private airlines in the current regulatory vacuum.
Warning against any move to relax pilot Flight Duty Time Limitations to favour IndiGo, Rahim demanded immediate imposition of stringent price controls and robust safety oversight in the duopolistic market to protect passengers from corporate exploitation.
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