Bandi Sanjay attacks Rahul Gandhi over Captain Smit Machchhar praise

Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar on Sunday criticised Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi for not publicly praising Flydubai pilot Captain Smit Machchhar for his role in preventing a potentially catastrophic incident involving a Dubai-Tel Aviv flight.

In a post on X, Bandi Sanjay questioned why Gandhi had not acknowledged the Indian pilot’s courage.

“Rahul Gandhi has time for everything, but no time to appreciate Captain Smit Machchhar?” he said, alleging that even recognising the bravery of an Indian had become difficult because of “appeasement politics at the international level”.

The BJP leader said Machchhar’s actions deserved appreciation from Indians and accused those who did not acknowledge his courage of being “dimagi Naxals and anti-nationals”, borrowing the phrase from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s political vocabulary.

According to the account cited by the BJP leaders, Machchhar raised an alarm after his co-pilot allegedly attempted to take control of the aircraft during its flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv. Passengers subsequently entered the cockpit and overpowered the co-pilot.

Two Flydubai pilots who were travelling as passengers then assisted in landing the aircraft in Saudi Arabia.

Bandi Sanjay’s remarks came after Union Minister for Coal and Mines G. Kishan Reddy also targeted the Congress leadership over the issue.

Reddy had criticised Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi for not publicly praising Machchhar, saying India was proud of the pilot’s courage and that his actions had helped avert a potentially devastating incident.

Reddy questioned why Rahul Gandhi had not even posted a message congratulating the pilot, while also accusing the Congress leadership of failing to acknowledge instances in which Indians earn international recognition for their courage and capabilities.

The BJP leaders’ remarks come amid continued political exchanges between the ruling party and the Congress over the handling of issues involving Indians and events with international ramifications.