Mahua Moitra Targets Sloganeers After Flight Incident

Key Takeaways

• MP Mahua Moitra shares video of men chanting anti-TMC slogans on an IndiGo flight to Delhi.
• She demands civil aviation minister K Ram Mohan Naidu place the individuals on the no-fly list.
• The incident occurs amid political turmoil following the recent West Bengal Election results.
• Moitra attributes the harassment to BJP culture while the Trinamool Congress faces a leadership transition.
• Suvendu Adhikari emerges as the frontrunner for chief minister as Union home minister Amit Shah prepares for Kolkata.

Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra has intensified her political rhetoric following a contentious air travel experience, urging authorities to take strict action against individuals who allegedly harassed her aboard a commercial flight. The incident highlights the heightened tensions in the national capital and underscores the broader political fallout from the recent assembly polls.

Moitra, who traveled to Delhi on official business to attend a Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence meeting, shared a video on social media platform X that depicts a group of men raising anti-TMC slogans as her flight landed at the national capital. The MP identified herself as the target of this harassment, describing the actions as a violation of her safety within the aircraft rather than a display of "citizen anger."

The incident took place on IndiGo flight 6E 719, which departed from Kolkata and arrived in Delhi. Moitra, seated at 1F, reported that four to six men boarded the aircraft in a group, leered at her, and moved to the back of the plane. She noted that the filming occurred after the plane landed but before the doors opened. The video, which she claims was forwarded to her after being circulated by "Sanghis" on social media, captures the men chanting slogans such as “Jai Shri Ram,” “TMC chor,” “Pishi chor,” “Bhaipo chor,” and “Trinamoole sab chor.” These slogans were apparently directed at TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee and her nephew, Abhishek Banerjee.

In her post, Moitra directly addressed IndiGo and Union Minister of Civil Aviation K Ram Mohan Naidu, demanding that the airline identify the individuals via crew reports and place them on a no-fly list. She stated, "This is no 'citizen anger'. This is harassment & violates my safety in an aircraft. No way that these louts can get away with this harassment inside an airplane." She further criticized the airline for initially stating they needed a formal complaint, confirming she was sending one. Moitra framed the incident as evidence of the prevailing political climate, stating, "This is BJP culture. Why is anyone surprised?"