Mumbai: Just three days after the Shiv Sena called for a boycott of Turkey and Azerbaijan, party workers and leaders demonstrated a protest at Mumbai Airport demanding the cancellation of a Turkish company’s contract for handling airport ground services.
The member of legislative assembly from Andheri East Murji Patel said that they will make sure that no Turkish company will be given any contract in Maharashtra.
The Free Press Journal reported on Thursday that Shiv Sena had called for a boycott of Turkey and Azerbaijan after both countries expressed solidarity with Pakistan against India’s Operation Sindoor to revenge the Pahalgam terrorist attack. Party leader Shaina NC had also called for Indians to boycott Turkey’s flag carrier Turkish Airlines and requested IndiGo to end its codeshare partnership with the former.
On Monday, Shiv Sena workers along with Andheri East MLA Murji Patel reached Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA)’s Terminal-1 where they staged a protest against CelebiNAS handling ground services at the airport.
CelebiNAS Airport Services India is a joint venture between Kuwait-based NAS and Turkey-based Celebi Holding. The company provides multiple ground services at around nine Indian airports. At Mumbai Airport, it also holds the contract to provide Bridge Mounted Equipment (BME) services at both terminals.
At the Mumbai Airport on Monday, Shiv Sena leaders and workers met the airport authorities and expressed their opposition against the Turkish company. The party demanded that the company’s contract be cancelled and handed over to an Indian company. It threatened increasing the intensity of protests if the contract is not cancelled within 10 days.
Patel said, “The airport’s entire contract is with this Turkish company. We had to protest against this company because these countries are earning money from Indians and then using it against India’s interest. We have held this protest under the aegis of our leader Eknath Shinde. The airport authorities have assured us of cancelling the contract.”
Patel also said that Shiv Sena will work to ensure that no Turkish company is given a contract in Maharashtra. He claimed that he will write a letter to prime minister Narendra Modi and chief minister Devendra Shinde about the issue and also stated that he will provide a list of such companied to deputy CM Shinde.
