New Delhi: The BJP on Sunday accused the Congress leadership of remaining silent over Captain Smit Machchhar’s actions during the flydubai cockpit attack.
It also criticised the opposition party’s latest organisational appointments in Uttar Pradesh.
BJP spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP Sudhanshu Trivedi said the Indian pilot’s bravery was a source of national pride. He questioned why senior Congress leaders had not publicly praised him.
BJP questions silence
“For India, this is an occasion of great pride, but there are also some occasions that are a matter of shame. Not a single word, not a single post, and not a single press statement has come from the Congress family for Captain Smit Machchhar. This raises a serious question,” Trivedi said.
He contrasted the alleged silence with praise from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and leaders abroad.
Trivedi targeted Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. He alleged that electoral considerations had shaped the party’s response.
“Rahul Gandhi, the ‘wayward prince’ of the Gandhi family who was once so distressed over Gaza, seems to be so ‘terrified of the vote bank’ that he is not able to utter a single word to hail the valour of Machchhar,” he said.
He accused the Congress of “silent support to terrorism” and sought an explanation from its leadership.
Captain helped avert disaster
Machchhar suffered serious injuries after his Omani co-pilot allegedly attacked him aboard Flight FZ1073 on Wednesday.
The Dubai-Tel Aviv flight carried 174 people. Despite his injuries, Machchhar opened the cockpit door and allowed others to intervene. His actions helped prevent the aircraft from being brought down.
The plane later diverted to Tabuk in Saudi Arabia and landed safely.
UP appointments criticised
Trivedi also attacked the Congress over its decision to appoint Aradhana Mishra-Mona as Uttar Pradesh president and Saharanpur MP Imran Masood as working president. The party announced the changes on Friday, replacing Ajay Rai as state chief.
Trivedi cited Masood’s past remark about Modi and alleged that Mishra had previously stopped workers from raising the “Bharat Mata ki Jai” slogan.
“This demonstrates how vast the gap has become between Mahatma Gandhi and the Gandhis of today,” he added.
