Days after disgruntled BJP leader Subramanian Swamy made a bizarre claim that visuals of PM Narendra Modi taking a sortie in Indigenous fighter aircraft Tejas were fake because the ‘glass cover’ was not closed, BJP MP Rajiv Pratap Rudy responded to him today. As Swamy had claimed he was told by an Air Force officer that the photos were fake, the former civil aviation minister said that the Air Force officer might be fake instead.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi undertook a sortie in the Indigenous fighter aircraft Tejas in Bengaluru on 25th November. Several videos and photographs of the same were published in the media. However, two days later on 27 November, former Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy, who is unhappy with the Modi govt for not getting a place in the cabinet, posted on X that an air force officer told him that the photos were fake because they show PM Modi flying in an air force Jet without the glass cover 25,000 feet above and waving out.
Dr. Swamy, ( @Swamy39 )
— Rajiv Pratap Rudy (@RajivPratapRudy) November 29, 2023
I have read your tweet alleging that the Prime Minister was flying the Tejas LCA without the glass cover, suggesting that the canopy waving was fake. It's possible the Air Force officer who briefed you is clueless about aviation, as he himself might be… https://t.co/g48NowvUCE
Swamy claimed that the pictures are fake because at that height Modi would have been sucked out by the atmosphere and fallen to the ground.
The politician was immediately fact-checked by social media users who pointed out that the visuals clearly show the glass canopy on the fighter jet. In close-up images taken from inside the jet, reflections behind and above PM Modi can be seen, indicating that it is the glass canopy. Similarly in photos taken from another jet flying alongside, the canopy is clearly visible.
Today Rajiv Pratap Rudy responded to Swamy’s bizarre claims, saying that it’s possible the Air Force officer who briefed Swamy is clueless about aviation, as he himself might be fake and lacking knowledge about flying or fighter jets. “Only the blind would not see that Mr. Modi was in the Tejas aircraft with the canopy closed, accompanied by his instructor,” said Rudy, who is a pilot himself.
He said in his tweet, “As a pilot who has had the privilege of flying these fighter aircraft with instructors, I can confirm that Mr. Modi was fully geared up in his G-suit, and the pressurised canopy was closed. It’s entirely possible for parallel aircraft flying nearby to take photographs from outside, and there are also cameras fitted inside the cockpit. Not only fighter pilots but any pilot with reasonable experience can attest to this.”
Dr. Swamy, ( @Swamy39 )
— Rajiv Pratap Rudy (@RajivPratapRudy) November 29, 2023
I have read your tweet alleging that the Prime Minister was flying the Tejas LCA without the glass cover, suggesting that the canopy waving was fake. It's possible the Air Force officer who briefed you is clueless about aviation, as he himself might be… https://t.co/g48NowvUCE
Rudy added, “I am shocked and surprised that someone like you would make such comments without verifying the authenticity or credibility of the Air Force officer who briefed you. Worse yet, your credibility is now reliant on unverified comments.”
The BJP leader also demanded that Swamy disclose the identity of the ‘air force officer’ who told Swamy that the pictures are fake. “You should also disclose the identity of this Air Force officer, who is tarnishing the image of our prestigious Air Force in general and the Honorable PM in particular. I believe, prior to the Prime Minister’s office responding, you should consider deleting the tweet and issuing an apology to the nation,” he added.
PM Modi taking a sortie in a twin-seater Tejas aircraft is considered very significant, because it displays the PM’s and the government’s confidence in the indigenous aircraft. Wile VVIPs flying in twin-seater fighters are not uncommon, previously all such flights were in twin-engine jets. For VVIPs, a twin-engine aircraft is considered a requirement for safety purposes. President Droupadi Murmu recently flew in a twin-engine Sukhoi-30MKI. However, Tejas is a single engine aircraft, therefore it shows the govt’s confidence on the jet.
The jet the PM flew in was a brand new one handed over to the Indian Air Force only a month ago, which is a dual-seat Tejas trainer which is also a multirole fighter and fully combat capable.
