At a time when India’s repeatedly expressing its frustration with VIP culture, politicians and their aides appear to remain in thrall to special treatment. On Monday morning, an Air India flight from Mumbai to New York was delayed by nearly an hour on account of a member of the entourage of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
Sources said that the politician’s aide, Praveen Pardeshi, arrived at the airport with an outdated passport. Passengers were then forced to wait for 50 minutes while the bureaucrat’s new passport was delivered to him, said sources.
The Chief Minister is on an official trip to the US. Mr Pardeshi is a member of his delegation.