Ajit Singh invites former ministers to discuss Air India strike

As Air India pilots' strike entered the fifth day, Government on Saturday reached out to the opposition parties to discuss ways out of the impasse.

Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh has invited his predecessors Sharad Yadav, Rajiv Pratap Rudy and Shahnawaz Hussain for informal talks on the ongoing strike, sources said.

Indicating support to the government on the issue, Rudy said, "The argument given by the erstwhile Air India pilots is bizarre. No Government will support them."

He was of the view that common people could not be harassed because of the strike.

The Civil Aviation Minister reached out to Yadav, Rudy and Hussain as the strike by pilots entered the fifth day.

Some senior pilots have also sought intervention by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to end the current impasse, claiming the demands of pilots be met as they were "genuine and just".