New Delhi, Oct 4 — Congress MP and new Uttar Pradesh Congress Working President, Imran Masood, on Sunday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of turning the issue surrounding flydubai pilot Captain Smit Machchhar into an "event", while praising the Indian pilot for his bravery in averting a major in-flight crisis.
The remarks came days after Captain Machchhar was seriously injured when his co-pilot allegedly attacked him inside the cockpit of flydubai flight FZ1073. Despite sustaining grievous injuries, Machchhar helped avert a potential disaster and the aircraft was subsequently diverted to Tabuk in Saudi Arabia. The incident involved more than 170 people on board.
When asked about the “silence” of the Gandhi family over the pilot's actions, Masood said the BJP was attempting to turn the matter into a political event.
Speaking to IANS, the new Uttar Pradesh Congress Working President noted, "Captain Smit Machchhar saved his own life and the lives of others. Salute to his bravery. But it is not as if the BJP has turned everything into an event. The BJP tries to turn every other issue into an event. He is alive, let's just pray he is well; that's all."
Masood’s comments came after the BJP launched a sharp attack on the Gandhi family over what it described as their "silence" on Captain Machchhar's courageous actions.
The BJP asked why the Congress leadership had not publicly acknowledged the pilot's bravery while, according to the party, members of the Gandhi family had openly expressed concern over the war in Palestine.
The Congress MP also spoke about the continuing political controversy surrounding the Election Commission of India (ECI), amid tensions between the Congress and the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) over the differing treatment of protesters in connection with allegations of defacing the ancestral residence of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.
Speaking about the issue, Masood said that attempts were being made to divert attention from the larger political issue, while asserting that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was leading the main fight against the Election Commission.
“There are many things that are practised to divert the issue. But the real fight is being fought by Rahul Gandhi, and whatever outcome comes from this fight in the country will come from Rahul Gandhi's fight, not from anything else. This could be a way to diffuse the issue and divert the pressure elsewhere," the Congress MP added.
"But as far as the real fight is concerned, the whole country understands that the Election Commission has put the entire country in question. A trust that had been built over 70 years has been broken by one person sitting in the chair," Masood said.
"We will not let Gyanesh Kumar sit in peace. Gyanesh Kumar will have to go, and he will have to answer for this," he added.
The Congress MP also attacked the BJP over the governments in Bihar and Bengal, alleging that the party had formed governments in the two states by "stealing votes".
His remarks came after the Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan criticised the Congress over what he described as "insulting" the people's mandate by repeatedly raising questions over the Election Commission.
Chouhan had described such allegations as an "old habit" that was "embedded in the DNA of the Congress party".
Responding to Shivraj Singh Chouhan's remarks, Masood alleged, "They have insulted democracy. They are running governments through stolen votes. There are governments in Bengal and Bihar that have been formed through stolen votes. They are running governments on the strength of stolen votes, after killing democracy."