Shruti Suman
Rajasthan’s Chief Minister, Ashok Gehlot, has come out in support of his fellow party member, Sachin Pilot, following targeted criticism from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The BJP took a jab at Sachin Pilot over allegations that his father, a former Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot, was involved in bombing Mizoram’s population in March 1966.
Amit Malviya, the head of the BJP’s social media cell, claimed that Rajesh Pilot and Suresh Kalmadi, who later became Congress MPs and government ministers, flew IAF jets that bombed Aizawl, the capital of Mizoram, in March 1996. Malviya posted on the platform previously known as Twitter, now referred to as X: “Later both became MPs on Congress tickets and ministers in the government. It is clear that Indira Gandhi gave a place in politics as a reward, gave respect to those who carried out air raids on their own people in the Northeast.”
Reacting strongly to Amit Malviya’s statement, Ashok Gehlot stated that the BJP was demeaning the Indian Air Force by targeting Rajesh Pilot, a former IAF pilot, and that the nation should denounce such actions. Gehlot said, “Congress leader Shri Rajesh Pilot was a brave pilot of the Indian Air Force. By insulting them, the BJP is insulting the sacrifice of the Indian Air Force. The entire country should condemn this.”
Sachin Pilot also responded to Amit Malviya’s comment, asserting that the BJP’s social media head had shared incorrect dates and facts. Sachin Pilot presented a certificate that indicated Rajesh Pilot’s commission into the Indian Air Force on October 29, 1966. Sachin Pilot clarified, “You have the wrong dates, wrong facts… Yes, as an Indian Air Force pilot, my late father did drop bombs. But that was on erstwhile East Pakistan during the 1971 Indo-Pak war and not, as you claim, on Mizoram on the 5th of March 1966. He was commissioned into the IAF only on 29th October 1966. (certificate attached). Jai Hind and a happy Independence Day.”
Is Harmony Restored in the Rajasthan Congress?
Over the last several months, the relationship between Sachin Pilot and Ashok Gehlot had been unstable. In April, Sachin Pilot organized a protest against Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot’s perceived inaction against alleged corruption. With the Rajasthan Assembly Election just a few months away, Pilot initiated the protest against the Ashok Gehlot-led government to address the corrupt practices of the former Vasundhara Raje-led government in the state. Despite warnings from the Congress party to handle the matter internally, Pilot continued with the protest.
