Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Saturday called out Air India over a broken seat on his flight from Bhopal to Delhi, terming it “unethical” to charge passengers fully while offering faulty seating.

His remarks triggered a sharp reaction from the Congress, which took a dig at the government, accusing it of ignoring passenger grievances.

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Sharing his experience in a social media post on X, Chouhan wrote, “Today I had to come from Bhopal to Delhi, inaugurate the Kisan Mela in Pusa, hold a meeting of the Natural Farming Mission in Kurukshetra and discuss with the representatives of the Kisan Organisation in Chandigarh.

“I had booked a ticket on Air India flight number AI436, I was allotted seat number 8C. I went and sat on the seat, the seat was broken and sunken in. It was uncomfortable to sit.”

The minister further added, “I don’t care about sitting discomfort, but it is unethical to make passengers sit on bad and uncomfortable seats after charging them the full amount. Isn’t this cheating the passengers?”

Reacting to his complaint, the Congress took a swipe at the government, stating that grievances from common passengers often go unheard but action may be taken now since the minister has had a problem.

“Passengers are troubled in trains, passengers are distressed on planes. People keep complaining and keep making videos, but there is no hearing. Now, since Shivraj ji has a problem, he is tweeting—maybe action will be taken on this,” the Congress wrote on X.

Hitting out at the BJP-led government, the Opposition party further said, “But the situation is not going to improve, because any system is fixed from the top. And on top of that, there is no time to beat the drum of ‘sab changa si’. People suffer.”

Meanwhile, after Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s criticism, Air India issued an apology, stating it will ensure any such occurrences are not repeated in the future.

“Dear Sir, we apologize for the inconvenience caused. Please be rest assured that we are looking into this matter carefully to prevent any such occurrences in the future. We would appreciate the opportunity to speak with you, kindly DM us a convenient time to connect,” the airline added.