Bhopal/Bhubaneswar: Air India today drew huge flak from passengers after it left them stranded for seven hours following a holdup by a politician.

According to sources, the flight from New Delhi to Bhopal, which was scheduled to depart at 7:30 pm, left at 2:30 am.

Meanwhile, Tathagata Satpathy, Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MP, who was on the flight from Delhi to Bhubaneswar, said that Air India kept on delaying their flight as the national carrier had posted the crew from their flight to the one in which Madhya Pradesh Minister Sartaj Singh was travelling.

“Air India flight from Delhi to Bhubaneswar was to take off at 6:20 pm. But they kept on delaying it. When our aircraft was ready, we were then told that our flight will board after the Air India flight to Bhopal. It appeared as if crew from our flight was posted to Bhopal flight as MP Minister Sartaj Singh was one of the passengers on it,” Satpathy told media sources.