Srinagar: A day after it emerged that crew members of national flag carrier Air India have been asked to say "Jai Hind" after every flight announcement, former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti has questioned the move. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief also sought to link the official advisory given to Air India with the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Mufti wrote on Twitter “Little surprise that with General Elections around the corner, the josh of patriotism hasn’t even spared the skies,”.

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The advisory, issued by Air India Director Operations Amitabh Singh, stated: "With immediate effect, all (crew) are required to announce 'Jai Hind' at the end of every announcement after a slight pause and much fervour." The advisory is meant to be followed by all crew members of the national flag carrier.

When Ashwani Lohani was Air India's Chairman and Managing Director, he had issued a similar advisory to the airline’s pilots in May 2016. AI officials said the advisory issued yesterday is only a "reminder" to the staff. It has been issued in line with the current "mood of the nation", officials added.

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Lohani had said in the advisory issued to the AI staff in May 2016"The captain of a flight should often connect with passengers during the journey and, at the end of first address, using the words 'Jai Hind' would make a tremendous impact,". Lohani had added "The cabin crew should greet the passengers while emplaning and deplaning with a 'namaskaar' as was the tradition. A smile on the face and conversing sweetly and politely without an iota of irritation would be a good thing,".