Air India to roll back boarding passes with PM Modi’s photo

NEW DELHI, Mar 25, 2019, Hindustan Times. Air India has decided to withdraw the boarding passes with photographs of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani after a passenger complained about it on Monday morning, saying it was in violation of the model code of conduct, reported the Hindustan Times.

Shashi Kant, the former director general of police of Punjab who was travelling to Chandigarh from Delhi, tweeted a photograph of his boarding pass issued at the New Delhi airport, questioning how the photos of the two Bharatiya Janata Party leaders could be on it.

“At New Delhi airport today March 25th, 2019. My Air India Boarding Pass, prominently flashes Narendra Modi, “Vibrant Gujrat” & Vijay Rupani. Picture of boarding pass is below. Wonder why we are wasting public money on this Election Commission, which doesn’t see, hears or speak… (sic)” Shashi Kant wrote.

According to an Air India official, it was a third party advertisement and that the leftover boarding passes were printed recently.

“AI has decided to roll back the boarding cards with the advertisement of vibrant Gujarat,” said a spokesperson for Air India.

The matter has been referred to the Election Commission also.

“This should not happen as it is a violation of code of conduct. No matter it will benefit to which party but violation should not happen,” said Shashi Kant.

The Indian Railways recently asked its different zones not to sell tickets displaying advertisements of the government’s achievements and the photo of Prime Minister Modi, a day after West Bengal’s ruling Trinamool Congress party complained to the Election Commission over what it said was a violation of the model code of conduct put in place by the Election Commission.

A railway official said the tickets were printed well in advance and many of them carried advertisements approved by the Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity (DAVP) of the government of India.

A 2007 order of the election watchdog directs all ministries as well as public sector units to remove photographs of the PM, CMs and ministers from roadside banners, ambulances and airports, among others, till the model code of conduct is in place.