NEW DELHI: A day after two FIRs were registered against him for hitting a 60-year-old Air India staffer with his slipper and for forcibly holding the flight and delaying it for 40 minutes, Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad today remained unapologetic about the incident and dared the Delhi Police to arrest him.
“I will not apologise. It was not my fault, it was his fault. He should apologise. First ask him to apologise then we will see,” Gaikwad told the media here.
“Let the Delhi Police arrest me. Uddhav ji will decide the course of action,” he added.
The MP from Osmanabad in Maharashtra also downplayed reports suggesting that Air India is considering banning him from boarding its flights.
“I have the tickets, they can’t blacklist me. I will board the Delhi-Pune Air India flight this evening. How can they not allow me?” he said.
According to reports, an association of airlines has decided that Gaikwad will not be allowed on flights. It has also issued a statement stating to conduct a probe into the incident.
Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray has sought a report to determine the facts before he decides on what happens next for Gaikwad.
The Shiv Sena yesterday said that it does not tolerate violence.
Gaikwad was travelling from Pune to New Delhi when scuffle broke out over the sitting arrangement.
The MP claimed that his ticket was for business class but Air India provided him economy class.