Airfare caps should be in force till duopoly in airline sector remains: Chidambaram
New Delhi (PTI): After the government introduced airfare caps in the wake of IndiGo flight disruptions, Congress leader P Chidambaram on Sunday said the Ministry of Civil Aviation has finally woken up and demanded that such price containment should remain in force till a duopoly in the airline sector exists.
The disruptions in IndiGo's operations resulted in hundreds of flight cancellations and delays in the last few days, causing hardships to thousands of passengers across the country.
In a post on X, the former finance minister said, "I am glad that the Ministry of Civil Aviation has woken up at last and capped the Economy Class fares".
"As long the duopoly in the airline sector remains, caps on Economy Class fares must remain in force
"Absent robust competition, the only way to protect public interest is price containment. The overwhelming majority of the passengers must be protected (sic)," Chidambaram said.
He earlier said that the meltdown of Indigo operations and the chaos in airports throughout the country point to a massive failure of the Management of Indigo, the Ministry of Civil Aviation, DGCA and the whole government.
Noting that the new pilot duty time rules were notified in January 2024, Chidambaram said, "Yet, over the past 23 months, the government failed to guide the airline to adapt its operations to the new Rules. The MoCA and DGCA are squarely responsible."
"When the crisis started and escalated, the government was clueless and helpless, and eventually capitulated," the Congress leader alleged.
The ministry on Friday suspended implementation of new flight duty time limitation (FDTL) rules following the crisis.
In the two-page order on capping the airfares, the ministry said on Saturday that disruptions in flight operations of one of the scheduled airlines has resulted in flight cancellations, leading to capacity constraints and an unreasonable surge in the fares on a number of sectors.
The airline operated more flights on Saturday at around 1,500, against about 800 cancellations.
IndiGo is operating 1,650 flights of its 2,300 daily domestic and international flights on Sunday, and 650 remain cancelled for the day, amid the airline's operations gradually stabilising after massive disruptions in the last five days, the airline said.
I am glad that the Ministry of Civil Aviation has woken up at last and capped the Economy Class fares
— P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) December 7, 2025
As long the duopoly in the airline sector remains, caps on Economy Class fares must remain in force
Absent robust competition, the only way to protect public interest is price…
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
