Modi govt. sparing IndiGo as it bought poll bonds: Congress

Escalating its attack on the Centre over the crisis created by mass cancellations of IndiGo flights, the Congress on Saturday accused the Modi government of being lenient towards IndiGo since its parent company, InterGlobe, purchased electoral bonds.

The Opposition party claimed that the ongoing IndiGo chaos was not an accident but the direct outcome of the BJP government’s “relentless push to manufacture a duopoly in the sector”.

“Duopoly prevails in many sectors of the Indian economy; the airline industry is one. Liberalisation and open economy are based on competition,” former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram said in a X post, adding, “People must ponder over HOW a vibrant and competitive airline industry in India was reduced to a two-player business, and WHY”.

Addressing a press conference on the issue, Congress’ Lok Sabha member Sasikanth Senthil said the notification for new flight duty time limitation (FDTL) was issued in January 2024, and partially implemented since July 2025, yet the government allowed IndiGo to create chaos and inconvenience the passengers [citing implementation of the new rest norms for pilots].

He asked if Union Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu would take responsibility for the “unprecedented crisis”. “Why did the DGCA [Directorate General of Civil Aviation] fail to ensure IndiGo complied with the FDTL rules released in January 2024 and partially implemented from July 2025 and fully on November 1? Did the government ever issue warnings or compliance notices to IndiGo, or was the airline protected from enforcement altogether?” he asked.

‘Extraordinary lenience’

Mr. Senthil said the revelations surrounding electoral bonds “add yet another layer to this troubling picture”. “…the data shows that InterGlobe group entities bought around ₹36 crore in electoral bonds, while its promoter Rahul Bhatia purchased bonds worth about ₹20 crore, much of them encashed by the BJP”.

“Given these electoral bonds disclosures, that we saw massive purchases by InterGlobe group entities and its promoters… is the BJP’s financial proximity to IndiGo the real reason behind this extraordinary lenience shown at the cost of passenger safety? We have been always saying – this electoral bond is a very, very, very dangerous thing. It will allow corporates to run the show and this is one example,” he said.

The Congress MP from Tamil Nadu said the crisis is not a natural breakdown but “a predictable fallout of the BJP government that has been hell-bent on crushing competition, rewarding favourites, and reshaping an entire national industry to suit a tiny circle of corporate allies”.

“The BJP government’s obsession with creating monopolies is visible across India’s infrastructure landscape. Why does only one corporate group repeatedly receive such large, strategically important assets? For example, the handover of multiple airports, including those once managed by others, to [Narendra] Modi ji’s dear friend Adani Group,” he said.

The Tiruvallur MP also accused the Centre and the airline being apathetic towards the plight of the passengers. “There is total apathy by the government and the airline. Will Aviation Minister Rammohan Naidu take responsibility for this unprecedented crisis or will he hide behind generic statements,” Mr. Senthil asked, demanding a White Paper on the Centre’s action to make IndiGo compliant with the new rules.