DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran was in for a surprise, as he boarded an IndiGo aircraft to make his way home to Chennai from New Delhi. 'So you are traveling in this flight as well!' said a person dressed in the Captain's uniform. I could not recognise him with his mask on, although his voice sounded familiar. I nodded my head, still wondering who it could be. He looked at me and his eyes gave away the smile behind the mask. 'So you don't recognize me!'" Mr Maran tweeted.
"I realised then that it was none other than my colleague, senior Member of Parliament and former Union Minister - my very good friend Thiru @RajivPratapRudy Just two hours ago, he and I were part of intense discussions at the Estimates Committee and now I couldn't believe my eyes, seeing his transformation from a politician to a pilot," Mr Maran tweeted. Mr Rudy flies Airbus A320-321. He was Civil Aviation Minister in 2003. This is his fourth term as an MP in the Lok Sabha, in addition to having been elected twice to the Rajya Sabha from his home state, Bihar. Mr Rudy was first elected MLA from Bihar's Taraiya seat when he was only 27 years old in the 1990s. He has served in several organisational roles in the BJP, including national general secretary. An avid aviator, Mr Rudy on his website says, "Other aircrafts I have flown include Sukhoi 30-MKI fighter aircraft, Grippen and the Rafale fighter."