The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) criticised the Gandhi family on Sunday for not publicly acknowledging the heroism of Captain Smit Machchhar, an Indian pilot who saved over 170 passengers on flydubai flight FZ1073 after a co‑pilot attack forced the aircraft to divert to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. The pilot sustained serious injuries while preventing a major in‑flight crisis.
BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi said that the Congress family’s silence on the incident reflected a broader ideological stance that he accused of “silently supporting terror.” He compared Captain Smit’s bravery with the Congress party’s past statements on figures such as Zakir Naik, Afzal Guru, Burhan Wani, Yakub Memon and the Batla House encounter, questioning why the party has not offered any words of support for the pilot.
Trivedi also targeted Congress leaders, pointing to the appointment of Imran Masood as the party’s working president for Uttar Pradesh. He noted Masood’s controversial remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and suggested that Rahul Gandhi’s decision to bring Masood into the party contradicted the ideals associated with Mahatma Gandhi. Additionally, the BJP MP raised concerns about the selection of Aradhana Misra as the new UP Congress chief, citing a video in which she allegedly stopped party workers from chanting patriotic slogans.
The MP concluded that the lack of response from the Congress leadership, especially on a “proud occasion for India,” highlighted a conflict between two ideologies: one he described as quietly endorsing terror and undermining constitutional institutions, and the other, represented by the BJP, he said was willing to risk lives to protect the nation. He urged the Congress party to provide a direct answer to his accusations.
