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| Not literally, Farooq ‘tall stature’ comes in the way of Sonia’s austerity measures | | |
EARLY TIMES REPORT
Jammu, Sept 14: One after the other, the Ministers of Union Cabinet are shedding their plush lifestyles to retain or make their entries into good books of the UPA chairperson and Congress President Sonia Gandhi but one of them, the Minister for New and Renewable Energy Dr Farooq Abdullah, has spelled out a genuine problem for not flying in the economy class of budget commercial aircrafts.
Farooq’s tall stature –not the political in literal sense of term but physically huge structure –is coming in the way of implementing the austerity measures as proposed by the UPA chairperson and discussed in the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s cabinet.
Farooq and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar are reported to be the two Ministers who expressed their reservations in flying the economy class of commercial aircrafts. Farooq is reported to have offered a reason that since he was tall his lanky legs could not fit comfortably while traveling in economy class. The Maratha stalwart Sharad Pawar, is reported to have said that status and security did not allow him and his ministerial colleagues in the centre to travel by economy class.
However, Sonia Gandhi today set the example for central ministers' travel mode when she flew from New Delhi to Mumbai in an economy class. She thought it better to set the example when she found a number of central ministers showing reservation against the Union Government's proposals on austerity measures.
These austerity measures had been introduced in the wake of the drought in various parts of the country and the UPA Government plans to spare several hundred crores of rupees which it may need for compensating farmers on losses owing to drought.The austerity measures include ban on central ministers traveling by private aircrafts within and outside the country. Already the External Affairs Minister, S.M.Krishna has announced that he will not fly by private aircrafts.
In case Farooq Abdullah refused to travel by economy class he may invite the displeasure of Ms Sonia Gandhi. Any such displeasure could threaten the very survival of the National Conference led coalition Government in Jammu and Kashmir. One report said that neither the Prime Minister nor Ms Sonia Gandhi feel convinced by Farooq's statement that he felt uncomfortable while traveling by economy class because in that segments there was small space for legs. Farooq has been told that there were a large number of people, taller than him or having same height, who were used to travelling by economy class.
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