On February 20 this year, Tata Group patriarch Ratan Tata was his candid self. "The lobbying for discriminating policies between old and new airlines," he said, "is reminiscent of the protectionist and monopolistic pressures by vested interests' entities who seem to fear competition, as in a variety of other sectors over the years," referring to old private carriers' insistence for retaining what has come to be known as the 5/20 rule.