New Delhi: For Sushma Swaraj, a Raksha Bandhan “gift” landed this year much earlier than the August 10 festival did.
Not from a sibling or a relative but from a long-time political associate and now a ministerial colleague with whom her relationship had been variously marked by cordiality and rivalry, even a hint of chill.
Defence minister Arun Jaitley has placed almost exclusively at Sushma’s disposal one of the four Embraer 135 Legacy executive jets that he is officially entitled to use within the country and outside.
External affairs minister Sushma flew in the Embraer on her recent visits to Bangladesh, Nepal and Myanmar. She will again fly to Singapore in it on Friday, and later to Hanoi.
As defence minister, Jaitley is entitled to a range of aircraft, apart from the four Embraer jets. But if a ministerial colleague needs an Embraer, he/she would have to route a request through him as a procedural formality.
The Embraer seats 18 passengers. So, in exceptional cases, a top minister travelling with a large contingent can requisition an Airbus from Air India. S.M. Krishna, the UPA foreign minister, did so in 2011 when he went to Pakistan with some 70 mediapersons in tow.
Sushma can use the Embraer only for her sojourns in the immediate neighbourhood and a little beyond because the aircraft cannot fly long distances. Of the four at Jaitley’s disposal, three are being serviced and the fourth one has been “gifted” to Sushma.
A defence ministry source said: “The VIP aircraft befits her status as a senior minister. It saves her travel time and the hardship of checking in early that a commercial flight entails.”
13/08/14 Radhika Ramaseshan/Telegraph
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Not from a sibling or a relative but from a long-time political associate and now a ministerial colleague with whom her relationship had been variously marked by cordiality and rivalry, even a hint of chill.
Defence minister Arun Jaitley has placed almost exclusively at Sushma’s disposal one of the four Embraer 135 Legacy executive jets that he is officially entitled to use within the country and outside.
External affairs minister Sushma flew in the Embraer on her recent visits to Bangladesh, Nepal and Myanmar. She will again fly to Singapore in it on Friday, and later to Hanoi.
As defence minister, Jaitley is entitled to a range of aircraft, apart from the four Embraer jets. But if a ministerial colleague needs an Embraer, he/she would have to route a request through him as a procedural formality.
The Embraer seats 18 passengers. So, in exceptional cases, a top minister travelling with a large contingent can requisition an Airbus from Air India. S.M. Krishna, the UPA foreign minister, did so in 2011 when he went to Pakistan with some 70 mediapersons in tow.
Sushma can use the Embraer only for her sojourns in the immediate neighbourhood and a little beyond because the aircraft cannot fly long distances. Of the four at Jaitley’s disposal, three are being serviced and the fourth one has been “gifted” to Sushma.
A defence ministry source said: “The VIP aircraft befits her status as a senior minister. It saves her travel time and the hardship of checking in early that a commercial flight entails.”
13/08/14 Radhika Ramaseshan/Telegraph
