Ashok Gajapati Raju on Tuesday sparked a controversy by admitting that he carried match boxes in airplanes, without them being confiscated, after he became the Union Civil Aviation Minister.
"Once I became a minister of civil aviation, people stopped frisking me. I am a heavy smoker, so my match boxes came along with me, which earlier used to get confiscated. And now, I do not lose my match box, but I am yet to come across an incident worldwide where match boxes became a threat," said Gajapati Raju.
"I do not know what explosives a match box has, but this is the reality. But how do we make security meaningful without being obtrusive and without obstructing economic activities. Civil aviation is fortunately or unfortunately an activity which has a direct impact on economics, the growth of the country. Therefore, all these angles have to be addressed," he added.
He further said that Indian aviation has come a long way in terms of comfort and security.
