BJP Attacks Congress Over Silence on Captain Smit Machchhar

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BJP accused Congress leaders of not commenting on Captain Smit Machchhar’s reported bravery during a flydubai emergency.
Sudhanshu Trivedi alleged that Congress leaders had shown greater concern over other political issues.
The BJP also criticised Congress appointments in Uttar Pradesh ahead of the Assembly polls.

New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party on Sunday criticised the Congress leadership for allegedly remaining silent over Captain Smit Machchhar, who helped avert a major crisis aboard flydubai flight FZ1073 and save more than 170 lives.

BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi, addressing a press conference, questioned why senior Congress leaders had not publicly acknowledged the Indian pilot’s actions. According to the BJP, Machchhar was attacked by his co-pilot during the flight and was seriously injured while helping bring the aircraft to safety.

The aircraft was subsequently diverted to Tabuk in Saudi Arabia.

BJP Questions Congress Leadership

Trivedi alleged that the Congress leadership had not issued a statement or social media post recognising Machchhar’s actions.

He questioned the response of Sonia Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Rahul Gandhi, referring to their previous public positions on issues including the Gaza conflict and the Batla House encounter.

Trivedi also criticised Priyanka Gandhi Vadra over her previous public association with Palestine-related messaging and questioned why, according to him, she had not expressed sympathy for the Indian pilot.

The BJP leader similarly referred to Rahul Gandhi’s social media posts on Gaza while questioning his silence over the flight incident.

These remarks were part of the BJP’s political criticism of the Congress and were not presented as independent assessments of the Congress leaders’ intentions.

Trivedi Frames BJP-Congress Clash as Ideological

Trivedi described the dispute as a conflict between two political ideologies.

He alleged that one ideology was indirectly supportive of terrorism and accused it of damaging India’s constitutional institutions and social fabric. He contrasted this with what he described as the BJP’s approach, saying those representing his party were willing to risk their lives to protect others.

The BJP MP also cited previous controversies involving Congress and opposition leaders, including remarks and positions related to Zakir Naik, Afzal Guru, Burhan Wani, Yakub Memon and the Batla House encounter.

He demanded an explanation from the Congress leadership over what he described as the party’s failure to comment on Captain Smit Machchhar’s actions.

BJP Targets Congress Appointments in Uttar Pradesh

Trivedi also criticised the Congress over its organisational appointments in Uttar Pradesh, which is heading towards an Assembly election.

He raised objections to the appointment of MP Imran Masood as the party’s Working President in Uttar Pradesh. Trivedi referred to Masood’s controversial remarks about Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the 2014 Lok Sabha election campaign and criticised Rahul Gandhi for later bringing him into the Congress.

The BJP leader said the appointment reflected what he described as a difference between Mahatma Gandhi’s political legacy and the present-day Gandhi family.

Trivedi also questioned the appointment of Aradhana Misra as the new Uttar Pradesh Congress chief. He referred to a video that, according to his claim, showed her stopping party workers from raising the slogan “Bharat Mata Ki Jai.”

He demanded that Rahul Gandhi explain why such leaders were appointed to senior party positions.