The Nayab Singh Saini-led BJP government in Haryana landed in crisis after three Independent MLAs on Tuesday withdrew their support and announced they would campaign for the Congress party in the ongoing Lok Sabha Election 2024.
Over 70 Air India Express flights were canceled on Wednesday after the cabin crew members went on a “mass sick leave”, official sources said.
As many as 79 international and domestic flights were canceled after about 300 senior cabin crew members reported sick at the last minute and switched off their mobile phones.
The Air India Express management is currently trying to reach out to the crew, who are protesting against the new employment term at the Tata Group-owned airline, sources said.
“A section of our cabin crew has reported sick at the last minute, starting last night, resulting in flight delays and cancellations. While we are engaging with the crew to understand the reasons behind these occurrences, our teams are actively addressing this issue to minimise any inconvenience caused to our guests as a result,” an Air India Express spokesperson said.
“We sincerely apologise to our guests for this unexpected disruption and emphasise that this situation does not reflect the standard of service we strive to provide,” the spokesperson added.
Guests impacted by cancellations will be offered a full refund or complimentary rescheduling to another date, the airline said.
Several passengers took to their social media accounts and complained about the sudden cancellations of their flights. They said that they had “no information” about the cancellations.
Some “very disappointed” passengers on X said that they had reached the airport when they were informed that their flights were canceled.
“We apologise for any inconvenience. Please be informed that your flight has been canceled due to operational reasons,” Air India Express said in response to one of the posts on X.
Last month, a union representing a section of the Air India Express cabin crew alleged that the airline was being mismanaged and there was a lack of equality in the treatment of the staff.
Air India Express Employees Union (AIXEU), a registered union, had also alleged that mismanagement of the affairs has affected the morale of the employees.
She may not be the candidate, but senior Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is leading from the front when it comes to the party’s campaign in two prestige seats in Uttar Pradesh – Amethi and Raebareli. While her brother Rahul Gandhi is the candidate from Raebareli, Gandhi family loyalist Kishori Lal Sharma is the party’s pick for the Amethi seat.
Ms Gandhi Vadra is scheduled to hold as many as nine nukkad sabhas today to mark the beginning of a whirlwind outreach campaign. The 52-year-old leader reached Raebareli on Monday and held marathon meetings with local Congress leaders in the Bhuemau guesthouse over the past two days.
In a meeting on Monday, Ms Gandhi Vadra is learnt to have told Congress workers that she “will not move from Raebareli till May 18”. Both Raebareli and Amethi vote in the fifth phase of Lok Sabha polls on May 20.
“We have to fight Amethi and Raebareli strongly. Now, your 24 hours in a day belong to me. I will scold you, make you run, but stand strongly with you. The doors of my home are open for you round the clock. This election is an election to save the Constitution. The BJP wants to take away reservation benefits from you,” Ms Gandhi Vadra told the meeting, according to Congress workers.
Since its first Lok Sabha election in 1952, the Congress has lost Raebareli just thrice — in the post Emergency election in 1977 and in 1996 and 1998 elections. Veteran Congress leader Sonia Gandhi managed to win the seat despite a wave is support of the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the 2014 and 2019 election. Mrs Gandhi has now moved to the Rajya Sabha owing to health issues. This time, the party has chosen to field Rahul Gandhi from its traditional stronghold that has been represented by Feroze Gandhi and Indira Gandhi in the past. He is up against Uttar Pradesh minister Dinesh Pratap Singh, who lost to Mrs Gandhi in the 2019 election by over 1.67 lakh votes.
In Amethi, the Congress faces a tougher fight. The seat, which has been represented by Sanjay Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi in the past, was won by Rahul Gandhi thrice in a row before he was defeated by the BJP’s Smriti Irani in the 2019 election. Ms Irani, a Union minister, is the BJP’s candidate this time and has been campaigning extensively much before the Congress announced its candidate. The BJP leader has said she is confident of a win this time too. “The fact that the Gandhis are not fighting in Amethi shows that even before a vote has been cast, they are losing from Amethi. If they had seen even a glimmer of hope, they would have contested and not put up a proxy candidate,” Ms Irani told reporters after the Congress announced Mr Sharma as its candidate.
The grassroots leader, who has worked in Amethi and Raebareli as an MP’s representative before, has said he wants an opportunity to serve the people of Amethi. “The people of Amethi are in my heart. I have been here for 40 years. I am following the direction of the top leadership. I just want people to give me a chance to serve them,” Mr Sharma has said.