Ashok Gajapathi Raju says he carries matchboxes on planes after becoming a minister

New Delhi, April 7: Union Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju on Tuesday revealed that after he became a minister he was never frisked by security personnel at the airports and therefore was able to carry a matchbox onto a plane. Describing himself as 'a heavy smoker', the 63-year-old minister said, "Once I became minister, people stopped frisking me, so (a) matchbox, which used to be confiscated earlier, came along with me." Passengers are forbidden to carry lighters and matchboxes on board a plane and security personnel generally confiscate them during frisking. The minister then alughed and said, "I have yet to come across an incident worldwide where a matchbox became a threat." Ashok Gajapathi Raju is a senior leader of the Telugu Desam Party, which is a member of the NDA's coalition government.