Across the dial, India Today echoed the sentiment in its flagship show "Newstrack," where executive editor Rajdeep Sardesai cornered TDP spokesperson Jyothsna Tirunagari. "Your party's golden boy is under fire—inexperienced, asleep at the wheel. Why defend the indefensible?" Sardesai pressed, flashing graphics of skyrocketing fares: Delhi-Mumbai tickets jumping from Rs 5,000 to Rs 80,000 overnight

Metro India News | Hyderabad 

In a blistering wave of primetime outrage, India's leading national television channels unleashed a coordinated assault on Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu Saturday, demanding his immediate resignation amid the escalating IndiGo Airlines crisis that has grounded thousands of passengers and exposed glaring regulatory lapses. As flight cancellations surpassed 1,000 in a single day—the worst aviation meltdown in decades—anchors from Republic TV, India Today, News9, and regional powerhouse Sakshi TV turned their studios into virtual war rooms, amplifying passenger fury and opposition barbs in marathon debates that stretched into the wee hours.

The crisis, now in its sixth day, erupted last Monday when IndiGo, India's dominant carrier with a near-60% market share, bungled the implementation of new Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) rules introduced by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on November 1. Designed to curb pilot fatigue and enhance safety, the regulations mandated weekly rest periods and stricter night-duty caps.

But IndiGo's "misjudgment and planning gaps," as admitted by CEO Pieter Elbers, led to a cascade of crew shortages, forcing the airline to axe over 650 flights on Sunday alone. Stranded travelers at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport and Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminal painted a dystopian picture: families sleeping on terminal floors, businessmen missing critical meetings, and one viral video of a Delhi woman weeping as she forked out Rs 63,000 for a last-minute Air India ticket to attend her mother's funeral.

Republic TV, known for its no-holds-barred style, led the charge with anchor Arnab Goswami thundering, "This is not just an airline failure—it's a ministerial catastrophe! Ram Mohan Naidu must resign tonight, or the skies of India will never clear." In a two-hour special titled "Aviation Armageddon: Who's to Blame?", Goswami grilled aviation experts and opposition MPs, replaying Naidu's measured response from Friday where the minister warned IndiGo of "financial implications or heads will roll."

But panelists, including former Air Deccan founder Captain G.R. Gopinath, dismissed it as too little, too late. "The minister had two years to prepare airlines for FDTL. This duopoly—IndiGo and a limping Air India—has held India hostage. Resign, Naidu, and let a competent hand take over," Gopinath declared, his words trending nationwide with #NaiduResign garnering over 500,000 posts on X by midday.

Across the dial, India Today echoed the sentiment in its flagship show "Newstrack," where executive editor Rajdeep Sardesai cornered TDP spokesperson Jyothsna Tirunagari. "Your party's golden boy is under fire—inexperienced, asleep at the wheel. Why defend the indefensible?" Sardesai pressed, flashing graphics of skyrocketing fares: Delhi-Mumbai tickets jumping from Rs 5,000 to Rs 80,000 overnight.

Tirunagari countered that Naidu was "hands-on," citing his visit to IndiGo's operations control room and the ministry's swift rollback of FDTL norms until February 2026—a move critics slammed as caving to corporate pressure. "This exemption undermines safety. Pilots' unions are right to protest; it's a dangerous precedent," retorted Congress MP Karti Chidambaram via video link, fueling calls for a parliamentary probe.

News9, the TV9 network's English arm, took a ground-zero approach, dispatching reporters to chaos-hit airports in Chennai and Hyderabad. Anchor Sushant Mehrotra's segment, "Stranded Souls: The Human Cost of Naidu's Neglect," featured tearful testimonials from affected passengers. "I missed my son's wedding because of this mess. Where is the minister? Resign!" sobbed Priya Sharma, a Bengaluru teacher whose IndiGo flight was scrubbed without notice.

Mehrotra didn't mince words: "The DGCA's show-cause notice to IndiGo CEO Elbers is a start, but Naidu's silence on the duopoly is deafening. He must go—for the sake of every flyer betrayed by this government." The channel looped Naidu's Friday statement to ANI, where he blamed IndiGo's "mismanagement" but assured normalcy by December 10-15. Yet, with 34 cancellations from Chennai alone on Sunday, skepticism reigned.

Regional channels amplified the national chorus, with Telugu outlet Sakshi TV—bitter rivals to Naidu's Telugu Desam Party (TDP)—devoting its prime slot to "Rammohan Naidu Resign: Flight Crisis Exposes Ineptitude." Anchor Srujan Matcha declared, "From Vijayawada to Visakhapatnam, Andhra passengers are paying the price for TDP's novice minister. This is Viksit Bharat? More like Vikshit Airports!" The show highlighted YSRCP leader Jagan Mohan Reddy's X post: "Naidu should hang his head in shame and resign immediately for surrendering before IndiGo." Sakshi's on-air poll showed 78% viewers favoring resignation, a stark rebuke in Naidu's home turf.

The TV onslaught wasn't isolated; it mirrored a broader storm. Opposition heavyweights, from Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole to Trinamool's Derek O'Brien, flooded airwaves with resignation demands, accusing Naidu of fostering a "virtual monopoly" that extorts consumers. Even neutral voices like commentator Anand Ranganathan joined in, tweeting: "Civil Aviation Minister Rammohan Naidu should tender his resignation." Passenger advocacy groups filed PILs in the Delhi High Court, while the Airlines Pilots Association (ALPA) warned that the FDTL rollback "jeopardizes lives for profits."

Naidu's camp fought back gamely. TDP MPs Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu and Chandrasekhar Pemmasani praised his "decisive anti-duopoly stance" on social media, sharing clips of his control-room vigil. In a Saturday afternoon presser, Naidu reiterated: "We've prioritized passengers—senior citizens, students, the vulnerable. IndiGo will face penalties; safety remains paramount." But with the PMO briefed and a high-level inquiry announced, whispers in South Block suggested damage control mode.

This media maelstrom marks a pivotal moment for Naidu, the 34-year-old TDP scion elevated to cabinet rank post-2024 polls. Critics decry his youth as hubris; supporters hail his tech-savvy reforms, like the UDAN scheme's expansion. 

For now, the skies remain turbulent, and India's TV titans—united in rare consensus—demand accountability from 30,000 feet down. The resignation drumbeat grows louder, echoing the stranded cries at every gate.