Union Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia criticized senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh for alleging a violation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) by IndiGo Airlines. Ramesh claimed that the airline’s announcement on flights between Delhi and Aizawl included an appeal to passengers to vote in the upcoming Mizoram Assembly election and praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for routine matters.

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Scindia defended the announcement, stating that it was part of an “ongoing awareness collaboration between @MoCA_GoI & the ECI to encourage voter participation.” Scindia tweeted along with the letter of collaboration.

“One of these announcements immediately segued into a vote appeal asking passengers to vote during the upcoming state elections. Note that there was no mention of the Election Commission in this announcement — a clear violation of the Model Code of Conduct,” Ramesh stated.

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“Never before has any Prime Minister gone to these lengths to stay in the public eye to shore up his own flailing image, especially in the run-up to crucial elections. Clearly, there is no limit to the man’s insecurities, the Civil Aviation Minister’s sycophancy, and the spinelessness of the airline concerned,” he added.

“Small mercies that the flight I took today to Raipur of another airline did not stoop to the same level. Good to see that some corporates are still resisting pressure from the Modi govt and are following fair practices,” the Congress MP said.

IndiGo did not respond to BusinessLine’s query.