On January 21, an aspirant pilot joined Bharat Jodo Yatra and Rahul Gandhi spoke to him about his piloting experiences. During the conversation, Gandhi explained how his father, former Prime Minister late Rajiv Gandhi, taught him to fly a plane. According to Gandhi, a pilot should “fly the plane and not let the plane fly him”.
“Always fly the plane and never let the plane fly you.”
— Ramesh Naidu Nagothu/రమేశ్/रमेश नायडू (@RNagothu) January 21, 2023
– Shri @RahulGandhi ji’s valuable lessons for pilots. pic.twitter.com/l3LUqMjNeH
He said, “My father was a pilot. I learnt from him. Flying is partially about flying an aeroplane, but it is much more about an approach and an attitude.” When asked if it was about being analytical, he said no. Gandhi added, “My father told me one line. He said, always fly the plane, never let the plane fly you. Meaning, be ahead of the plane. So the pilots have to be significantly ahead of the aircraft. That’s the first thing. The second thing is the pilots see things from 30,000 feet. When you look at it from here, you can’t imagine what it looks like from there (points the finger at the sky). So the pilot’s training moulds his mindset to look from the top. Where is the drone? From the drone, you can see, right? That’s the pilot mindset. From there, everything else begins.”
The person said, “That puts you in a strategic place. The world looks different.” To which Gandhi replied, “It is basically management. See if you imagine walking on this road and you are here vs imagine if you are there (points hand towards the sky), number one the road looks different. Number two, the things on the road do not scare you at all. Because you have a big view, you can see from where the problems are coming. That’s very important about flying. It is a beautiful thing. You should become a pilot.”
His comments and his explanation of flying planes left netizens amused. Filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri said, “My Sunday is made. I am flying already. Are you?”
My Sunday is made. I am flying already. Are you? pic.twitter.com/odStSYMWiB
— Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri (@vivekagnihotri) January 22, 2023
Twitter user Gita Kapoor said, “‘Flying is partially about flying an aeroplane’. He is more cuckoo than cuckooooo Didi.”
‘Flying is partially about flying an aeroplane’. 🤦♀️He is more cuckoo than cuckooooo Didi. pic.twitter.com/AOVEbmTGlM
— GITA 🇮🇳 (@GitaSKapoor_) January 21, 2023
Twitter user Ethirajan Srinivasan said, “Now you know why Congress plane crash-landed in every election, that Rahul Gandhi piloted!”
Now you know why Congress plane crash-landed in every election, that Rahul Gandhi piloted!pic.twitter.com/lPkFWwThLr
— Ethirajan Srinivasan 🇮🇳🚩 (@Ethirajans) January 21, 2023
BJP leader and Union Minister of State for Entrepreneurship, Skill Development, Electronics & Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar said, “Poverty is a state of mind – Aug 2013. Flying is a way of thinking – Jan 2023. 10 years of progress.”
Poverty is a state of mind – Aug 2013
— Rajeev Chandrasekhar 🇮🇳 (@Rajeev_GoI) January 21, 2023
Flying is a way of thinking – Jan 2023
10 years of progress 🙏🏻😅pic.twitter.com/NWIjCO3f4R
Taking a dig at his “expertise” in flying planes, Twitter user Trupti Garg said, “Duggal sahab aaj pilot bane hai.”
Duggal sahab aaj pilot bane hai 😂😂
— Trupti Garg (@garg_trupti) January 21, 2023
pic.twitter.com/9b8F6JSuXw
Twitter user Rishi Bagree sarcastically said, “Life lessons for those who want to pursue a career in Aviation.”
Life lessons for those who want to pursue a career in Aviation 🙌 pic.twitter.com/GWxrkyD8b3
— Rishi Bagree (@rishibagree) January 21, 2023
Gandhi has come up with bizarre statements repeatedly during Bharat Jodo Yatra. Speaking to the reporters, Rahul Gandhi said those who wear sweaters are afraid of cold. His statement was in respect to a media query over why is he in a T-shirt during the Bharat Jodo Yatra even as a cold wave swept northern India.
Another gem Rahul Gandhi came up with during his yatra was when he claimed that he had killed Rahul Gandhi and the person we all are seeing is not Rahul Gandhi. On November 29, when a journalist asked the Wayanad MP what perspective he was gaining from ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’, he deflected answering it by saying there is no Rahul Gandhi.
In a video shared very proudly by the official Twitter handle of the Congress party, he was heard saying, “When Arjuna was focusing on the eye of the fish, did he announce his future course of action to everyone?” He claimed, “The story of Arjuna (not announcing his plans in advance) has a profound meaning. It is also mentioned in the Bhagavad Gita. You focus on the work and do not think about the results. This is the thinking behind the Bharat Jodo Yatra.”
