Will apologise to Parliament, but not to Air India official: Sena MP Gaikwad

New Delhi: Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad on Thursday said in the Lok Sabha that he would apologise to Parliament, but not to the Air India official whom he assaulted.

Remaining defiant, Gaikwad, who has been banned from flying by Air India and private airlines in the country after he beat an Air India manager with a slipper, said, “What wrong did I do? What is my crime?”

As Shiv Sena MPs cheered on from their desks, Gaikwad claimed that he "peacefully" asked the AI official for a complaints book in which he could enter his objections, but was treated with disrespect and then "grabbed by the collar."

“I am a teacher by profession. Humility is in my nature,” the Osmanabad MP claimed.

Gaikwad claimed that the media had presented a lopsided version of events, and again questioned why he was provided an economy class ticket despite asking for a business class one.

Today, he repeated what Shiv Sena has said earlier on his behalf, that the manager shoved him and provoked him with insults like "Who do you think you are? Narendra Modi?"

"This behavior was unacceptable... It was only after he insulted the PM and the Parliament that I got upset and hit him. Only that clip was shown to the public," he claimed.

Responding to Gaikwad's speech, Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju told Parliament that safety of passengers aboard aircraft cannot be compromised.