In disbelief I heard Rahul Gandhi, the scion of the dynasty and projected PM candidate of the Congress, tell pilots that if the Rafale deal is cancelled then the 30,000 crores saved would be given to pilots when they die in an air crash.

I am the wife of a naval aviator, who retired safely -and I am grateful to God that he is alive. Having lived the greater part of my married life in an airbase. I have seen first-hand the devastation a crash causes to the family and friends, leave alone the service. Airplane and helicopter crashes were nearly annual events in our airbase-no surprises since all the aircrafts and helicopters were way past their sanctioned life. The aircrafts should have been phased out decades ago, but due to great policies of Rahul Gandhi’s family, they were given extensions over and over again.

The budgets were sparse, maintenance was delayed, and spare parts were hard to come by-and when the much delayed refit to the country of origin (mainly Russia) was sanctioned, aircrafts were stripped to the barest essentials. Hats off to the aviators who still completed all the tasks and remained battle ready with such constraints. But the way-past-their-prime aircrafts took a toll – someday we would see a pall of dense smoke on the runway, suddenly hear a crash, the wail of a siren- and hearts would sink, as these signs were of an aircraft/helicopter crash. Someday, suddenly my Husband would rush off at night for a search and rescue of an aircraft which had not returned.

Does Rahul Gandhi even realize what happens when aviators die in a crash?

All aviators are young, in their 20’s or 30’s. They have young wives and very young children. Some leave behind pregnant wives. Most of the time, the day starts as routine, quick byes are said early in the morning, plans made for evening and the aviator goes off for a routine sortie. Some engine part malfunctions, rotor blades may stop, aircrafts May collide- and worlds comes crashing down!

Scared children are picked up from school, the commanding officer with his spouse breaks the shattering news to the wife, and suddenly life changes for ever. Terrified children hold on to the shattered mother’s hands, the pregnant wife is suddenly left adrift, shocked parents of bachelors are informed on phone— the whole base is plunged into deep sorrow. The young wife, mostly in twenties or thirties, is suddenly faced with difficult choices, the children, who till few hours back were carefree and playful suddenly become serious.

Does Rahul Gandhi even realize for the widows / parents of the dead aviator, the most difficult moment is signing on insurance and other benefits papers? - They break down, cry, and feel that it is blood money many refuse to sign and have to be counselled- and here Rahul Gandhi is offering them blood money as an incentive to cancel the Rafale deal?

Does Rahul Gandhi even realize the painful choices the wife has to make? In case she decides to opt for service in armed forces- where does she leave her children while she is training? The children who were the center of parents’ attention, suddenly become issues which have to be managed. Young children, toddlers, infants are left with grandparents with a heavy heart, while the wife embarks upon a life she had never even thought of.

Does Rahul Gandhi even understand the deep loss that the family is left with? Every Milestone in the child’s life sharpens the loss of the father, no amount of money can ever fill this loss.

Mr. Rahul Gandhi, have you even thought about the pregnant wife left behind, the unborn child who will never know the father, the emptiness the wife faces with no one to share her motherhood?

The most intriguing part is Rahul Gandhi has himself lost a father-he often speaks about his sense of loss
and then he makes this crass statement of offering pilots money from cancelled Rafale deal to die in airplane crashes!

This is the true face of a heartless self-centered Dynast.

Image Credits: ANI News