The “lal batti” culture has been a major subject of discussion for some time now. But BJP Minister Alphons Kannanthanam was in for a shock on Wednesday, when he was unexpectedly confronted by a woman passenger at an airport over her flight being delayed by VVIP movement.
The incident occurred at Imphal airport, soon after Kannanthanam, Minister of State (Independent Charge) in the Ministry of Tourism landed at the airport on his way to the Manipur Sangai Festival 2017.
Videos of the encounter show a woman passenger angrily confronting the Minister over a delay in the flight.
"I am a doctor, I am not a sweeper or anything, or a politician. It’s very important,” the woman tells the Minister. Times Now reported that the woman was on her way to Patna to attend the funeral of her brother, and she was distraught that she may miss her connecting flight from Kolkata because of the delay in Imphal.
Even as the minister tries in vain to calm her down, the woman angrily says, “I'm leaving my job, I didn't even give application. I left as such. I have to go Patna at 2.45pm, that was the scheduled time. And that I have told to my family also. The body is waiting, otherwise the body will degrade. I'm a doctor and I know the body will degrade and it will smell. It's still at my home, I have to go (sic)."
By the end of this she also breaks down into tears.
At this point, Kannanthanam intervenes to tell her after another flight lands, her flight will soon take off.
However, the woman then demands that the minister give it to her in writing that her flight will soon take off. Kannathanam then says that he does not have the authority to give it to her in writing.
WATCH:Angry passenger shouts at Union Minister KJ Alphons at Imphal Airport after flights were delayed due to VVIP arrival schedule #Manipur pic.twitter.com/0EWHjIA30n
— ANI (@ANI) November 22, 2017
While initial reports had said that the woman had confronted Kannanthanam because it was his arrival that had delayed her flight, the Minister told Times Now that it was the arrival of the President that had caused the delay.
"I have no role in the delay in the takeoff of the flight of this woman. I was exiting from Imphal airport when this woman confronted me saying her flight is getting delayed," he said.
Kannanthanam said that the President was expected to land at the airport soon and that might have caused delay to the other flights.
“Apart from the Prime Minister and President there is no protocol for any Minister. She (the woman in video) had to talk to someone. It is fine with me that she vented her anger on me,” Kannanthanam was quoted as saying by ANI.
Kannanthanam’s defence was corroborated by the Airport Director of the Imphal Airport. According to the statement quoted by ANI, “Yesterday no scheduled flight was diverted or cancelled. But, three scheduled flights were delayed by around two hours due to the President of India's flight movement.”