Hitting out at the Narendra Modi government over exorbitant air fares, the Congress on Saturday said that the Prime Minister’s remarks that people wearing hawai chappals (slippers) can now travel in planes sounds like a “cruel joke”.
In a statement, Congress general secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal said it was criminal to have lifted caps on airfares in August 2022 when the economy was in “doldrums”, and asked if the government has planned any intervention to ensure consumers did not suffer.
“PM Modi famously said that those wearing ‘Hawai chappals’ can travel on a ‘Hawai Jahaaz’ [aeroplanes]. With Delhi-Mumbai flights crossing ₹15,000 plus every day, his words sound like a cruel joke. These skyrocketing airfares are creating havoc among the middle class. The government’s complete free pass to the airlines, coupled with their rampant privatisation spree, is responsible for the dire situation today,” Mr. Venugopal alleged on Twitter.
