Civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju says he carries matchboxes on flights

Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju dropped a bombshell on Tuesday by confessing that he carries his matchbox along on flights since he is not frisked by airport security.

Raju, who is a chain smoker, in his address at the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) event in the national capital frankly admitted that before becoming a minister last year, his matchboxes and lighters were confiscated by airport security.

"But after becoming the minister for civil aviation, people stopped frisking me and my matchbox also came along with me," he said.

The minister's comment comes against the backdrop of rising concerns about aviation security in the country.

Matchboxes and lighters are among the items that are not allowed inside aircraft due to safety reasons.

When asked whether matchboxes should be allowed inside aircraft, Raju said, 'I don't know. I carry a matchbox in my pocket. Even now, here also, I carry it. There is no secret . My own lighters and matchboxes kept getting confiscated .. It is just a fact that I mentioned."

On being asked whether he carries matchbox even while travelling in flight, Raju retorted, "You (reporters) are going to make an issue out of it but I have yet to come across an incident worldwide where a matchbox became a threat."

Raju, however, emphasised that security should be meaningful rather than being obtrusive.

"So, how do we make security meaningful without being obtrusive or without obstructing economic activities. We need to make security less obtrusive." Later, the Congress asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to pull up Raju alleging that the action shows the government's pro-tobacco lobby mindset. "The action of the civil aviation minister... is a serious lapse on the part of the civil aviation authorities and those responsible for airport security," Congreess spokesman Randeep Surjewala said.