Ex-Navy chief refutes Modi's charge, claims Rajiv was not on private trip
A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused late PM Rajiv Gandhi of using aircraft carrier INS Viraat as “personal taxi” during a holiday with his family in Lakshadweep Islands in 1987, several top retired Navy officers, including former Navy chief L Ramdas, on Thursday refuted his claim and said no ships were diverted for Rajiv Gandhi and the trip was an official one.
Ramdas said Rajiv had boarded the aircraft carrier with his spouse and son Rahul Gandhi and denied Modi’s charge that some foreigners too were on the ship.
However, there is no official reaction from the Indian Navy on the controversy.
Retired Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Wajahat Habibullah, who in 1987 was the administrator of the Lakshadweep Islands, denied Modi’s charge that some friends of Rajiv Gandhi’s boarded the aircraft carrier. Since all the Ministers besides the Prime Minister were there for a meeting, the aircraft carrier was stationed there for national security, he said.
The former bureaucrat said as the administrator of the Islands, he had to organise a meeting of Island Development Authority in Kavaratti, one of the islands of Lakshadweep. During this visit, the then PM had to inaugurate the Island Development Council.
“After the meeting, Rajiv Gandhi decided to stay on for a couple of days to take a holiday with his family, and was joined by Sonia Gandhi’s sister and her husband, friends, including Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan. None of them even went to Kavaratti. They took the helicopter services from Kochi to Bangaram, he said, adding all those who availed of the helicopter service of the State-owned Pawan Hans paid for it as the administration did not get any bills for it. “Neither did we get the bills for their stay at the guest house in Bangaram. Rajiv Gandhi paid for his family and the other paid for theirs,” Habibullah said.
These reactions came after Modi, during an election rally at Ramlila Maidan here on Wednesday, said Rajiv Gandhi took his family members from Italy for a personal holiday on INS Viraat. The then commanding officer of the aircraft carrier, Vinod Pasricha, denied it and said the protocol was followed on the Prime Minister’s official visit.
Pasricha said the former Prime Minister was accompanied by his wife Sonia Gandhi, son Rahul Gandhi and two IAS officers, and Vice Admiral on board the aircraft carrier. Pasricha retired as Vice Admiral. Incidentally, the aircraft carrier was decommissioned in 2017 after 40 years of service.
Refuting Modi’s accusation, Ramdas, who in 1987 was the Southern Naval command chief, said in a statement on Thursday, “Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and Mrs Gandhi embarked on board INS Viraat off Trivandrum enroute Lakshwadeep. The former Prime Minister was at Trivandrum as chief guest for the National Games prize distribution. He was going to Lakshadweep on official duty, to chair a meeting of IDA (Islands Development Authority). This meeting is held alternately in Lakshadweep and in Andamans.”
The former Navy chief said there were no foreigners with them. “I, as Flag officer Commanding in Chief, Southern Naval Command, based in Cochin, boarded INS Viraat. Four other ships were with INS Viraat as part of Fleet Exercises. As command chief, I hosted a dinner for them on board INS Viraat.
“There were no other parties held on board INS Viraat or for that matter any other ship in our fleet during that time,” he said.
He clarified that the statement was issued after collating email responses from his colleagues namely Admiral Arun Prakash, Vice Admiral Vinod Pasricha and Vice Admiral Madanjit Singh. All of them were serving in the Western Fleet during the events referred to said, Ramdas.
“I would like to state unequivocally, that this was not the case,” in an apparent reference to Modi’s charge. Prakash, who later became Navy chief was commanding INS Vindhyagiri while Madanjit Singh was commanding INS Ganga at that time.
These ships were part of the exercise and accompanied the aircraft carrier.
Ramdas said Rajiv Gandhi and his wife did, of course visit some of the Islands on short trips by helicopter to meet local officials, as also the people there. “Prime Minister is authorised to travel along with his spouse by service aircraft on official duties. From what I know only Rajiv and Sonia went ashore by helicopter and Rahul never accompanied them. During his visit to Bangaram on the last day, a few naval divers had been sent ashore for the Prime Minister’s safety,” he said.
Narrating the sequence of events, he said these official meetings and functions were in December 1987. The western fleet had planned its naval exercises with the aircraft carrier much in advance in the yearly exercise programme to be held in that part of the Arabian Sea. “This was an opportunity for the officers and men to interact with their PM. He addressed the men, had ‘bada khana’ as per Naval custom.
I then hosted a dinner for the Prime Minister that night. And there is a photograph to confirm this,” he said.
Rejecting the charge that some ships were deployed for personal use of the Gandhi family, Ramdas said
“no ships were specially diverted for the personal use. Only one small helicopter was left at Kavratti to meet any emergency medical requirements of the PM and his wife,” he said.
