Won't apologise over AI plane incident, says Sena MP Gaikwad

An unrepentant Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad on Friday said that he would not apologise to the Air India staffer whom he assaulted, and instead blamed the airline employee for the incident.

The MP drew more flak on Friday, with four private Indian carriers banning him from flying, while Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathy Raju promised that action would be taken against him.

Gaikwad told reporters at the Maharashtra Sadan in the morning that he has no regret over his actions, saying "kaahe ka pashchaataap (what is there to repent)?"

"I will not apologise...He (AI Manager Sukumar) should come and apologise... Then we will see. A 60-year-old man should also know how to behave," he said.

Gaikwad said he went out to watch a Bollywood movie Badrinath ki Dulhaniya last night to "relax" himself after journalists sought his reaction over the incident.

"Tension-free hona chahiye na...You also watch the movie...It's very good," he said.

The first-time lawmaker also said he had made Parliament "proud", when asked if his act has brought shame to the temple of democracy.

Meanwhile, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan said she cannot take suo motu action and that she will take a call if it is brought to her notice in the House. (READ MORE)

BMC polls: BJP puts up best ever show with 81 seats, Sena bags 84

BMC Elections 2017 Results - The BJP is set to make decisive gains in civic polls in Maharashtra even as it is locked in a neck- and-neck fight with its bickering ally Shiv Sena in Mumbai, the latest counting trends suggest.

BJP put up its best ever show in BMC elections by bagging 81 seats, just 3 seats short of Shiv Sena.


The Congress and the NCP were headed for a rout across the state including some of their strongholds like Pune.

While the Shiv Sena slightly improved showing in Mumbai and Thane, the BJP is set to retain Nagpur, Akola and wrest Pune and Ulhasnagar from NCP and Nashik from the MNS.

But, as the counting progressed into final rounds, it appears that the Sena is unlikely to touch the half-way mark of 114 seats in Mumbai, where the BJP is poised for a big leap after fighting the polls on its own.

The BJP is likely to come to power in at least six civic bodies -- Pune, Nashik, Ulhasnagar, Akola, Nagpur and Amravati -- out of the 10 corporations for which the elections were held on Tuesday.(Read More)