Gaikwad-AI row: LS speaker puts ball in Civil Aviation Ministry's court

New Delhi: With the Shiv Sena warning of protests in the Parliament over the flying ban on its MP Ravindra Gaikwad, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan on Wednesday put the ball in the Civil Aviation Ministry’s court and said that she doesn’t have the legal authority to make decisions on such matters. "I have told my secretariat to send Gaikwad’s letter to Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju, requesting to consider an appeal of removing the blanket ban on him," Mahajan told news agency. "It is in the Civil Aviation Minister’s hand to remove the ban as I don’t have the legal authority to make decisions on such matters," she added. Responding to a poser on the Shiv Sena contemplating over bringing a privilege motion in the Parliament on the issue, Mahajan said she cannot take the decision on her own, adding that the Privilege Committee has the right to take decisions on the privilege motion. She, however, added that she was trying her best to ensure that this matter is resolved at the earliest. Earlier in the day, the Shiv Sena members in Lok Sabha warned of protests in Parliament if the issue of its MP Ravindra Gaikwad was not resolved soon. All major domestic airlines have imposed a flying ban on Gaikwad for assaulting an Air India duty manager.