Airlines banning Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad is 'dadagiri': Samajwadi Party MP Naresh Agrawal

New Delhi: Samajwadi Party on Monday slammed Air India and other private airlines' decision to put Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad, on their no-fly list for assaulting a senior AI official.

SP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Naresh Agrawal criticised Air India and all private carriers saying, the action on Gaikwad is like 'dadagiri'.

Gaikwad had on Thursday abused and assaulted a 60-year-old duty manager of the national carrier with slippers over not being able to fly business class despite having boarded an all-economy Pune-New Delhi flight.

Air India and major domestic airlines have barred the 57-year-old MP from flying as he refused to apologise for the incident that triggered nationwide outrage.

The Sena MP has remained defiant and refused to apologise for repeatedly beating and trying to push down Sukumar from the aircraft. He also dared Delhi Police to arrest him and alleged that it was AI official Sukumar who hit him first.

Besides Air India, the airlines which won't allow Gaikwad to fly as FIA members are IndiGo, Jet Airways, SpiceJet and Go Air. AirAsia and Vistara, which are not with FIA, have also joined them.

"Air India and member airlines have decided to ban this MP from flying on all our flights with immediate effect," the FIA had said in a statement.