Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had a rough Saturday—literally. He didn’t mince words when he called out Air India, now under Tata’s wing, for sticking him with a “sunken and broken” seat on a flight from Bhopal to Delhi. What should’ve been a smooth trip turned into an uncomfortable ordeal, and Chouhan’s not letting it slide quietly. After the airline scrambled to apologize, he’s demanding they step up their game.

Chouhan was on his way to a whirlwind of events—meeting protesting farmers in Chandigarh, speaking at a farming gig in Kurukshetra, and kicking off a farmers’ fair in Pusa. He hopped on Air India flight AI436 out of Bhopal, expecting a decent ride. Instead, he got seat 8C. “I sat down and instantly felt it—broken, sunk in, just awful,” he shared on X, painting a picture of a seat that clearly wasn’t up to snuff.

When he flagged it with the crew, their response left him stunned. They admitted the seat was a known mess, something management had been told not to assign. Worse, it wasn’t the only dud on the plane—other passengers were stuck in the same boat. Kind folks on board offered to swap seats, but Chouhan, ever the gentleman, waved them off. “I didn’t want to hassle anyone just to save myself a sore back,” he wrote. So, he toughed it out, bumpy ride and all.

High Hopes, Big Letdown

Here’s where it stings for Chouhan. He’d figured Air India would’ve polished up its act since Tata took over. “I was hopeful things had gotten better,” he mused online. “Turns out, I was dead wrong.” For him, it’s not just about a lousy flight—it’s the principle. “They charge you full price, then sit you in a wreck of a seat. That’s not right. It feels like they’re pulling a fast one on passengers.”

He’s throwing some pointed questions Air India’s way: Are they going to fix this, or keep banking on people who’ve got no choice but to fly? It’s a fair jab from a guy who’s spent the day juggling big responsibilities, only to get let down by something as basic as a working seat.

Air India’s Scramble and the Public’s Take

Air India didn’t waste time saying sorry. “We’re really sorry Mr. Chouhan had a rough go,” a spokesperson told us, promising they’re digging into what went wrong and how to keep it from happening again. But the damage was done—folks on X lit up with #AirIndiaFail and #PassengerRights, swapping their own horror stories and cheering Chouhan for speaking out.

More Than Just a Bad Seat

For Chouhan, this isn’t just about a sore backside—it’s about fairness. He’s out there fighting for farmers, racing between cities, and all he’s asking is for a ride that doesn’t feel like a rip-off. It’s a small saga that’s got a lot of us wondering: If a big shot like him can’t get a decent seat, what’s it like for the rest of us?