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Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge, accompanied by senior leaders including Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, Shaktisinh Gohil and Mukul Wasnik, visited the tragic crash site of the Ahmedabad-London bound Air India flight on Saturday. The delegation also met survivors undergoing treatment at the Civil Hospital.

The catastrophic crash, which took place shortly after the flight took off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Airport on Thursday, claimed the lives of 241 out of 242 people on board. Several people on the ground — including medical students — were also killed as the aircraft went down into a medical college campus in Meghaninagar.

Speaking to reporters after meeting the injured, Kharge demanded that the Union government take responsibility for the disaster. “The government must give compensation to kin of plane crash victims and fix accountability,” he said, as quoted by PTI.

He pointed out that neither the Centre nor the Gujarat government had yet announced any compensation for the victims’ families or the injured. Kharge underlined the importance of not trivialising such grave incidents. “Nobody should take such incidents lightly and say such things keep happening or that this is routine,” he remarked.

#WATCH | Ahmedabad, Gujarat: On #AirIndiaPlaneCrash, Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge says, "At the time of such a tragedy, no one should compete to take credit. Now that the black box has been found, we will see what the outcome is, because it is not right to blame… pic.twitter.com/B9sMbKdL8g

— ANI (@ANI) June 14, 2025

“Don’t Take Credit By Visiting Crash Site, Getting Photos Clicked”: Kharge's Veiled Jibe At PM Modi

The Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha cautioned against politicising the tragedy, saying, “At the time of such a tragedy, no one should compete to take credit. I would also like to say that nobody should try to take credit by visiting the site or meeting the injured and then getting photos clicked,” according to ANI.

#WATCH | Ahmedabad, Gujarat: On #AirIndiaPlaneCrash, Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge says, "At the time of such a tragedy, no one should compete to take credit. Now that the black box has been found, we will see what the outcome is, because it is not right to blame… pic.twitter.com/B9sMbKdL8g

— ANI (@ANI) June 14, 2025

The remark comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's photo at the accident site was slammed by the Kerala Congress.

The wall is partially collapsed and could give way any moment, especially with such a heavy aircraft tail resting on it. This is an unacceptable risk to take. @narendramodi. pic.twitter.com/kCCjHO6zvX

— Congress Kerala (@INCKerala) June 13, 2025

Kharge emphasised that his visit was meant to express solidarity and support for the victims’ families and the injured. “We are here to give strength to the kin of the deceased and to the injured,” he said.

Kharge acknowledged that this was not the time to demand a probe but said his party would take a stand once official findings emerge. “The black box has been found. Let its findings come. After that, we will raise demands accordingly,” he said.

Calling for unity during the national tragedy, Kharge added, “It is not right to say that such accidents happen and it is a normal thing… In such a time, the people of the whole country should come together. I would request my party workers and leaders to keep helping the people. If they need anything, medicine or anything else which is not available here, they should arrange for that too…”

The Congress chief and his team also met with the lone survivor of the crash, Vishwaskumar Ramesh, as well as injured medical students.