YSRCP Demands Sacking of Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu: IndiGo Crisis and Aviation Meltdown
8 Dec, 2025 15:23 IST|Sandeep Athreya
YSRCP National Spokesperson and Former MP Bharat Ram Slams TDP, Ram Mohan Naidu
The YSR Congress Party on Sunday launched a blistering attack on Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu, holding him squarely responsible for the unprecedented chaos paralysing air travel across India.
Addressing the media at the party office in Rajahmundry, former MP Margani Bharat said the nationwide aviation disruption was the direct outcome of the Minister’s “incompetence and reckless decision-making.”
“Unilateral FDTL Rules Triggered IndiGo Collapse”
Bharat alleged that the Centre abruptly enforced new Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) norms — increasing mandatory pilot rest periods from 36 to 48 hours — without consultations, operational assessment, or preparedness.
He said the move instantly created an acute pilot shortage at IndiGo, grounding hundreds of flights and stranding thousands of passengers.
According to him, the ripple effect allowed other airlines to hike fares steeply, revealing what he called a “total governance collapse” in the Civil Aviation Ministry.
“Passenger Safety Compromised, Nation Humiliated on TV”
Calling the episode a danger to passenger safety, Bharat criticised TDP spokespersons for “parading false narratives” on national television by claiming that Nara Lokesh was “reviewing” the aviation crisis from a war room.
“National anchors asked them the basic question — what authority does Lokesh have over civil aviation? Their humiliation became the humiliation of Telugu people,” he said.
Bharat also accused Ram Mohan Naidu of being more focused on shooting social media reels at the recent Ahmedabad accident site than providing full, transparent details to the country.
“IndiGo Needed 900 Additional Pilots Overnight”
Citing operational data, Bharat said IndiGo operates 2,300 flights daily with around 5,400 pilots and a 434-aircraft fleet.
“The unilateral FDTL change meant the airline suddenly needed 900 more pilots, without any review, recruitment plan, or transition mechanism. What was the Minister thinking?” he asked.
He highlighted real cases of distress — patients stranded, senior citizens abandoned at airports, bodies delayed for funerals, and even a couple forced to marry online after flight cancellations — as examples of the human cost of the crisis.
He demanded that the Union Minister resign immediately or be removed from the Cabinet.
Local Issues: Bazaar Construction and Hospital Negligence
In a separate attack, Bharat alleged that Rajahmundry’s Gautami Super Bazaar was constructed without required municipal approvals. He demanded the civic commissioner demolish the structure if it violated norms and criticised a TDP MLA for “peddling false corruption charges” against him.
Bharat also condemned the death of a pregnant woman at the Rajahmundry Government Hospital, alleging grave medical negligence. Although the newborn survived, he said the incident exposed the “collapse of standards in government hospitals and the government’s disregard for the poor.”
