Amit Malviya, the head of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) IT department, recently made claims about senior Congress leader Sachin Pilot’s father, Rajesh Pilot, stating that he had dropped bombs as an air force pilot in Mizoram in March 1966. However, Sachin Pilot has criticized these claims, highlighting factual inaccuracies and providing historical evidence to correct the narrative.
Malviya’s claim was made in a post on social media platform X, where he alleged that Rajesh Pilot and Suresh Kalmadi were involved in bombing Aizawl, the capital of Mizoram, on March 5, 1966. Malviya suggested that both individuals later became Members of Parliament (MPs) on Congress tickets and government ministers. He implied that this was a reward from then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi for their involvement in air raids on their own people in the Northeast.
.@amitmalviya – 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… https://t.co/JfexDbczfk pic.twitter.com/Lpe1GL1NLB— Sachin Pilot (@SachinPilot) August 15, 2023
Sachin Pilot responded to these claims, stating that the dates and facts provided by Malviya were incorrect. He clarified that while his father did serve as an Indian Air Force pilot and participated in dropping bombs, it was during the 1971 Indo-Pak war on erstwhile East Pakistan, not in Mizoram on March 5, 1966. Pilot shared evidence in the form of a commission certificate, which indicates that Rajesh Pilot was commissioned into the Indian Air Force on October 29, 1966.
In a social media post, Sachin Pilot addressed Malviya, saying, “@amitmalviya – 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.”
The controversy stems from Malviya’s allegations and Pilot’s efforts to provide accurate historical information to correct the record. This incident underscores the importance of factual accuracy and responsible communication in political discourse.
