Guwahati: Congress has strongly refuted the allegations of Prime Minister Narendra Modi which was made against the former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi that the latter used the Navy's aircraft carrier INS Viraat as a personal taxi for going on a family vacation.
The Congress said that it is PM Modi who uses Air Force jets as his own taxi paying as low as Rs. 744 for election trips. The Prime Minister is scared of his own sins and is pointing fingers at others.
Congress Spokesperson Randeep Surjewala while citing a media report at a press conference said that Modi has made Indian Air Force jets his own taxi. "You have paid as low as Rs. 744 for using IAF jets for election trips," said Surjewala.
According to a media report, the BJP paid Rs. 1.4crore to the IAF for 240 non-official domestic trips by PM Modi since the start of his tenure as prime minister till January 2019 based on an RTI. The report further said that in some cases, the amount paid seemed to be quite low.
Addressing a rally in Delhi on Wednesday, Prime Minister said that former PM Rajiv Gandhi and his family had used the battleship to go on a vacation. Modi said that even Rajiv Gandhi's in-laws were also on board and that Navy personnel were put on service of Rajiv Gandhi and his family while they were vacationing at the island. He said that INS Viraat was also stationed at the island for 10 days during that time.
Replying to Modi's allegations, Congress's Pawan Khera said that it has been clarified by retired Vice Admiral Vinod Pasricha that Rajiv Gandhi was on an official visit on INS Viraat and not on a vacation but facts don't matter to Modi adding that he doesn't have anything to talk about his own achievements.
Also Read: NATIONAL NEWS