New Delhi, September 12: Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee today led his government’s austerity drive by flying economy class in a budget airline to Kolkata as more ministers fell in line, notwithstanding the clamour for first class travel voiced by some of his colleagues.
“During the entire period of elections I have travelled economy class. Whenever most of the time I have travelled by commercial flights I have travelled economy class. So it was quite enjoyable,” he told reporters on arrival in Kolkata.
Mukherjee’s decision to lead by example flying economy class is seen as an answer by critics within the Cabinet, who on Thursday questioned the Finance Ministry’s austerity measures that included guidelines to ministers that they travel economy class on domestic and internal flights.
—Agencies