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Over four hundred Air India pilots on Sunday began an indefinite hunger strike to highlight their demands, as their agitation entered the forty -eighth day. The striking pilots said the management had refused to have a dialogue with them, and therefore, felt that a hunger strike was one of the ways of seeking attention. "We are asking them to talk to us but only dictatorship is happening. They can take away my career and my life but not my voice. This is my voice and I will speak up that injustice is being done to us,” Hari Shankar, a protesting pilot, said. Further, he appealed to the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi to end the impasse. “Through the media we want to appeal the Prime Minister and Sonia Gandhi that they would pay heed to our appeals and we have full faith in them. Our management and the minister in charge (Ajit Singh) have not cleared their stand,” he added. Pilots said they want to go back to work and start discussions with the unions to restore normalcy. However, Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh earlier slammed the pilots and called their strike 'illegal and unlawful', for violating the High Court's order, which had directed them to return to work. About 500 Air India pilots who fly international routes have been demanding their colleagues from former state-owned partner Indian Airlines should not be trained to fly Dreamliners, as it may mar the career prospects of original Air India flight crew.

Air India pilots begin indefinite hunger strike in New Delhi