The campaign for directs flights between the UK and Gujarat has been a long one.
Many many thousands of people have petitioned and lobbied to make this legitimate demand a reality.
I too have been involved since the inception of the campaign in writing position papers, speaking with various Indian officials and politicians.
I was also entrusted to hand over a bulky petition (perhaps the largest since our campaign to save the Hare Krishna Temple in Watford) on behalf of the British Gujarati community to the then chief minister Narendra Modi. I did so along with my friend, actor and now MP for Ahmedabad, Paresh Raval.
This was the culmination of a huge campaign led by Gujarat Samachar/Asian Voice and the refreshingly invigorated National Congress of Gujarati Organisations.
This is and has always has been an apolitical campaign. With politicians from all parties pledging support and the government of the day in New Delhi maintaining either a studied silence or replying that the matter is “in consideration”.
The huge social arguments for direct flights are clear. The business case though anecdotally very plausible, is something that I have been told does not stack up. I am skeptical given the huge business interest in Gujarat. But in any case, as national (and nationalised) carrier, it is incumbent upon Air India to take factors beyond business into consideration, much in the same way that the Royal Mail has a responsibility to deliver to even the most remotest parts of the UK.
However there is a wider political play within the aviation industry here, which I fear the Campaign is a victim of. And that is the politics played between airlines (and also governments) on premium landing slots, especially at the world’s busiest airport, Heathrow.
Cannot governments step in and resolve such issues? Well this is where precisely in my view the campaign’s agenda needs to move. Immediately after the UK general election, I would urge the Campaign leaders to write jointly to the newly elected UK prime minister and prime minister Modi to put this issue on the bilateral agenda. This issue is not in my view an Indian issue, or a UK issue – it’s an issue for both governments. And both country ultimately stand to benefit.
The article was first published in Asian Voice newspaper
Manoj Ladwa is the founder of India Inc. and chief executive of MLS Chase Group @manojladwa
