London, March 10 :     What Richard Branson wants, he normally gets. But this time the colourful boss of Virgin Atlantic Airways, best known for his abortive attempts to fly round the world in a hot-air balloon, has taken on the bureaucratic might of Air-India and the Indian government. Branson today formally launched a campaign for his airline to be given the right to make daily flights from Heathrow to Delhi and Mumbai. His reasoning is simple: there just are not enough seats on these routes and the near-monopoly on direct flights to Delhi and Mumbai by Air-India and British Airways should be broken. He wants the air traffic agreement between Britain and India, which allows for ?reciprocity?, to be re-negotiated. In principle, Air-India goes along with the line that there should be more seats between India and the UK, but the Indian national carrier feels it has made a huge investment setting up an engineering and security base at Heathrow and does not want to be shoved out to London?s second airport at Gatwick. The result is stalemate despite Branson?s offer to cut fares to India unless the whole mess can be untangled through direct talks between the Indian and British governments. In a long letter to Union civil aviation minister Ananth Kumar, Branson today set out the case for a new agreement and highlighted the benefits it would bring to passengers from both countries. ?More and more people are travelling between the UK and India,? he pointed out. ?I hope that you will be sympathetic to the case for increasing capacity for flights between the UK and India in the near future.? He offered a carrot: ?Virgin very much wants to help fuel India?s economic success and prosperity, and we are actively considering whether other parts of the Virgin Group might invest in your economy.? He went on: ?New services on routes between the UK and India are desperately needed. It surely can?t be right that over 300,000 people a year, 30 per cent of the total number, fly from London to Delhi and Mumbai via third countries. Their journeys are being extended by anything up to five hours. The case for new services is further strengthened by the fact that United Airlines are about to withdraw their daily London to Delhi service.? He referred to the current visit by British deputy prime minister John Prescott to India, who, according to Branson, ?has assured me he is willing to negotiate a new agreement?. Branson concluded: ?With 1999-2000 being designated ?Visit India Year? by the Indian government, this is a perfect opportunity for more international flights between the UK and India.? In the past, Branson has taken on British Airways on routes to America, South Africa and Japan and won. His campaign would certainly be popular with the long-suffering Indian-origin population in Britain as well as the large number of Britons who choose India for work or holidays. Branson has not specified what his fare to India will be other than to state his airline has historically forced down British Airways rates. At present, Air-India operates 14 flights from Britain to India ? 10 from London and four from Manchester. British Airways has 19. If Branson?s private airline is allowed in, there will be an additional 14 flightsto India. There has so far been no official comment from Air-India. One source, however, said: ?We have to fly on all routes, including those which are not so profitable. Branson is cherry picking.?