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Rahul Gandhi’s ’15 minutes’ claim: From Nehru’s Himalayan blunder to UPA’s silence as China took over Indian land in Ladakh

OpIndia Staff
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Rahul Gandhi’s ’15 minutes’ claim: From Nehru’s Himalayan blunder to UPA’s silence as China took over Indian land in Ladakh

During his speech at ‘Kheti Bachao Yatra’ in Kurukshetra Haryana on 6th October, former Congress President Rahul Gandhi said if UPA were in power, the Indian armed forces would have thrown out China from Indian Territory ‘in 15 minutes’. While talking about the Chinese ‘invasion’ on Indian land, he alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi says China did not enter India. Still, China controls over 1200 square kilometres of Indian land.

While talking about the Ladakh standoff, he said if UPA had been in power, the neighboring country would not have dared to look at India with evil intentions. He alleged that PM Modi had weakened the country. Gandhi also alleged PM Modi only cares about his image and do not care about what is happening in India. “They talk about ‘Bharat Mata’, but Narendra Modi gave 1200 square kilometers to China to save his image, it is the truth,” he added.

Earlier, Congress tried to spread fake information that China occupied 38,000 square kilometers of India’s land, insinuating that the occupation has happened under the NDA rule. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, in his reply in Parliament, said that 38,000 square kilometre of Indian land is under China’s control. Congress leaders, IT cell and their media counterparts had tried a lot to twist the statement, peddling the narrative that the land has been handed over to China by the Modi government.

 In reality, when Rajnath Singh mentioned the 38,000 square kilometres of Indian land occupied by China, he was talking about Aksai Chin, part of Ladakh occupied by China during the Jawaharal Nehru regime. In fact, Nehru was not even concerned about the illegal occupation, saying that not even a blade of grass grows there.

Nehru’s Himalayan blunder

Since Independence, Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru made several blunders that led to defeat in the 1962 war against China. As a result, China not only took control of thousands of square kilometers in Ladakh but also took control of the Coco Islands that would have become one of the strategically owned lands in the Sea for India.

Under Nehru’s watch, 5,180 square kilometres of Indian territory in the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) was ceded by Pakistan to China under the Boundary Agreement of 1963. That is another blunder made by Nehru where China took control of Indian territory and the then Congress government, headed by Rahul Gandhi’s great-grandfather did nothing.

Nehru had ignored warning from Army

The Army commander had tried to warn then-PM Nehru about a possible attack on India by China around two and a half years before the 1962 war. Nehru categorically ignored the warning that resulted in India losing the war.

Nehru and the then defence minister Krishna Menon did not feel the need to take professional military advice, and the result was that India suffered its worst-ever defeat during the Indo-China conflict in 1962.

Indian Air Force was kept out of the 1962 war

Air Marshal Denzil Keelor (Retd.), during an interview, said that PM Nehru made sure to keep Air Force out of the Indo-China war of 1962. There was no support for the Indian Air Force from the then-government at the centre. Keelor said Nehru depended on diplomacy and ignored the warnings and detailed assessments made by armed forces.

Had Jawaharlal Nehru paid attention to the detailed studies in 1960, India’s defeat at the hands of the Chinese could have been avoided. Keelor had stated that at the time of the war, Indian Army’s soldiers did not even have proper woollen clothing to face the weather and the difficult terrain of the Himalayas.

640 square kilometer land occupied under Manmohan-led government

Though Congress never admitted, the fact is China occupied over 640 square kilometres of Indian land during UPA’s tenure. From 2010 to 2013, China entered Indian territory for around 600 times. The landgrab happened after India and China signed nine agreements, including the Border Defence Cooperation Agreement (BDCA). Though China itself presented the Agreement, it undermined the agreement and continued incursions into the Indian side. None of the bilateral agreements signed between India and China 1993, 1996, 2005, and 2012 managed to stop China’s plans to take over land that belongs to India.

Contrary to Rahul Gandhi’s claims of 15 minutes, the UPA was in power with Manmohan Singh as the Prime Minister of India for 10 years between from 2004 and 2014. Yet, the then Indian government, controlled by Rahul Gandhi’s family did nothing about the Chinese incursions. In fact, they were busy signing MoUs with the Chinese Communist Party and receiving donations from them.

Congress wanted to let go of Siachen

Congress PM Manmohan Singh had even wanted to demilitarize Siachen, as a ‘peace gesture’ towards Pakistan. Siachen holds the utmost importance when it comes to keeping borders safe from the neighbouring countries. In 2006, according to former Chief of Army Staff General (Retd) JJ Singh, then-PM Manmohan Singh-led UPA government was possibly under the United State’s pressure to cede territories of Siachen glacier to Pakistan in a bid to settle disputes. If that had happened, it would have been catastrophic for India’s border security.

Michelle Obama gaslights Americans as she defends riots in US, calls it very small fraction of ‘overwhelmingly peaceful’ protests

OpIndia Staff
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Michelle Obama gaslights Americans as she defends riots in US, calls it very small fraction of ‘overwhelmingly peaceful’ protests

Former United States first lady Michelle Obama on Tuesday accused US President Donald Trump of being a “racist” as she defended the riots unleashed by the radical-left group Antifa in the country during the George Floyd protests.

Endorsing Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, Michelle Obama, the wife of former US President Barak Obama, in her 24-minute speech attacked US President Trump and claimed that Republicans were “stoking fears about black and brown Americans”.

Calling the recent riots following the death of George Floyd in the US as an ‘overwhelmingly peaceful movement’, Michelle Obama said, “They’re stoking fears about black and brown Americans. Lying about how minorities will destroy the suburbs, whipping up violence and intimidation, and they’re pinning it all on what’s been an overwhelmingly peaceful movement for racial solidarity”.

Michelle Obama, continuing her attack against Trump, said that he was “morally wrong” for taking actions that intimidate voters.

She continued, “Research backs it up, only a tiny fraction of demonstrations have had any violence at all. So what the president is doing is once again patently false, it’s morally wrong. And yes, it is racist. But that doesn’t mean it won’t work.”

It is rather shocking that the Michelle Obama has not only attempted to whitewash the widespread riots and lootings unleashed by radical-left elements in the US, but has also attempted to change the entire narrative of the George Floyd protests and the subsequent riots in the US by holding the authorities responsible for the large-scale violence.

Violence, arson and riots by leftist groups after the death of George Floyd

It is pertinent to note that a wave of riots was unleashed soon after the death of George Floyd by police brutality in the city of Minneapolis. Violent mobs had rampaged through the streets pillaging and looting stores and engaging in vandalism and arson. Many stores, boutiques had been looted and destroyed by the violent rioters in various parts of the country.

Protesters had hit the streets staging large-scale demonstrations across the country and had also clashed with police in various cities. The violent protestors, joining hands with radical-left groups such as ‘Antifa’ had torched down public properties, buildings and cars during the so-called peaceful protests.

According to a report, the riots, which is referred to as a ‘peaceful movement for racial solidarity’ by Michelle Obama has cost nearly $2 billion for the US economy as businesses and livelihoods were destroyed, including the large scale damages to properties. More than 570 protest marches during the George Floyd protests had turned violent in the US.

Video of Narendra Modi taking oath as Gujarat Chief Minister on 7 October 2001 goes viral. Watch

OpIndia Staff
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Video of Narendra Modi taking oath as Gujarat Chief Minister on 7 October 2001 goes viral. Watch

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday entered 20th year as an elected public representative. On 7th October 2001, he had taken oath as Gujarat Chief Minister for the first time. A video of the same has gone viral on social media.

Narendra Modi had taken oath in Gujarati as the Chief Minister of state. He was not an MLA at that time. Few months later, he had been elected from Rajkot West seat which was vacated by Vajubhai Vala.

In 2001, few months after the devastating earthquake struck Gujarat, the Keshubhai Patel led BJP government in state was facing tough time. There were allegations of corruption, abuse of power and poor administration. After Keshubhai Patel resigned over his ill health, Narendra Modi, who had never held a public post was made the Chief Minister. A decade later, Modi would resign as Chief Minister of Gujarat to take oath as Prime Minister of India.

Will Kheti Bachao Yatra turn out to be India’s Rose Garden superspreader event, thanks to Rahul Gandhi?

OpIndia Staff
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Will Kheti Bachao Yatra turn out to be India’s Rose Garden superspreader event, thanks to Rahul Gandhi?

As more and more politicians are testing positive for Covid-19, Punjab Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu is the latest one to join the list. Sidhu was found positive for the Wuhan virus on Tuesday and is currently under home isolation.

Apart from Sidhu being positive for Covid-19, the concern is that he had shared stage with many Congress leaders including Congress dynast Rahul Gandhi a day before he was found positive. Sidhu had shared stage with Rahul Gandhi during a tractor rally during Kheti Bachao Yatra held at Sangrur on October 5 where he had also said that masks hardly mattered to him in front of PM Modi’s farm bills. According to Punjab’s nodal officer for Covid-19 Rajesh Bhaskar, Sidhu was feeling tired on Monday night and had developed mild fever and a throat infection the next morning. His sample was taken last night only and the report arrived today afternoon in which he was found positive.

However, displaying a highly irresponsible behaviour in times of pandemic, Congress scion Rahul Gandhi is continuously attending mass gatherings instead of isolating himself and getting tested. Being a ‘youth icon’ as claimed by his supporters, Gandhi is is not just setting a really bad example for people but also risking the lives of those he comes in contact with.

Hours after Sidhu tested positive for coronavirus, Rahul Gandhi, who had shared a stage with him, was found leading a huge gathering of Congress workers toward Haryana. As one can see above, social distancing norms are being flouted and wearing a mask does not seem like a good idea for them. As one can see, hundreds of people have gathered in close proximity to an individual who came in contact with a COVID positive person. It is not yet clear whether Rahul Gandhi got himself tested for the Chinese virus, but reports have suggested that the symptoms appear few days after an individual gets infected. Hence, a wise thing to do would have been getting himself isolated. But, for his political points, Rahul Gandhi risked lives of thousands of people.

Donald Trump’s Rose Garden Super-spreader event

Last week, US President Donald Trump hosted an event at the Rose Garden in White House which has turned out to be a super-spreader event with as many as 37 people having tested positive for coronavirus as per latest tally. This includes US President Donald Trump himself and his wife, First Lady Melania Trump.

Lawyers in Pakistan refuse to take up Kulbhushan Jadhav’s case after lawyers from India were refused permission

OpIndia Staff
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Lawyers in Pakistan refuse to take up Kulbhushan Jadhav’s case after lawyers from India were refused permission

Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav who is held captive in Pakistan on charges of espionage is not able to get legal representation in Pakistan. Pakistani authorities last year had told the Indian High Commission that only a Pakistani lawyer could represent Kulbhushan Jadhav in court. During the consular access provided to Jadhav last year in September, he had allowed Indian High Commission in Pakistan to represent him by signing a power of attorney.

However, the defence counsels who were selected by Islamabad High Court to provide legal representation to Jadhav have refused to take up his case. The High Court had sought the assistance of two senior lawyers in Pakistan namely Abid Hassan Minot and Makhdoom Ali Khan. Both have expressed inability to represent Jadhav.

India had requested Pakistani authorities to let Jadhav be represented by an Indian lawyer or the Queen’s counsel. But the request was rejected by Pakistan. India has said that Pakistan has not yet fulfilled its obligations as per the ruling of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) which required Pakistan to provide all the documents related to Jadhav’s case, provide unconditional and unimpeded consular access to Jadhav and to appoint an Indian or Queen’s counsel to ensure free and fair trial in Jadhav’s case.

Background of the Case

Kulbhushan Jadhav was captured by Pakistani authorities on allegations of espionage in 2016. The Indian side has maintained that Jadhav, who is a businessman, was abducted by Pakistan from the Iranian port of Chabahar and was handed over to Pakistani authorities. He was arrested on March 3, 2016 and granted a death sentence in 2017.

The Indian side had approached the ICJ against Jadhav’s execution. The ICJ had stayed Jadhav’s execution by the military court and had allowed him to challenge his execution in a civil court. In order to comply with the direction of the ICJ, Pakistan needs to amend its Army Act. However, recently Pakistan had rejected reports claiming that it was amending its Army Act. In July this year, Pakistani had claimed that Jadhav had refused to file a petition for review of his death sentence.

‘Kerala model’ myth suffers a blow as State ranks third in the number of Coronavirus cases

OpIndia Staff
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‘Kerala model’ myth suffers a blow as State ranks third in the number of Coronavirus cases

Once hailed as a ‘model state’ in India’s fight against the Wuhan Coronavirus pandemic, Kerala has now climbed to the third spot in the highest number of active cases in the country. This has raised questions about the capacity of the healthcare system, as often portrayed in the media.

On Tuesday, the State has recorded a whopping 84,958 active cases, an increase of 379 cases. Meanwhile, the total number of Coronavirus-related fatalities has soared up to 859. At the same time, 149111 people have recovered from the infection. Reportedly, the upward trend has been continuing for several days.

On Thursday, Kerala recorded an increase in 8,135 new cases. As per the data released on Friday, Thiruvananthapuram had the highest number of cases at 12,223. Other districts such as Ernakulam, Kozhikode, Kollam, Thrissur and Malappuram recorded 9,420, 8,460, 6,837, 6,392 and 6,340 cases respectively. Again on Sunday, the State government informed that around 8,553 new cases were recorded. Meanwhile, India has recorded a total of 9,19,023 fresh cases, 1,03,569 deaths and 56,62,490 recoveries.

Kerala bans public gatherings in several districts

In light of the rising cases of Coronavirus, the State has imposed Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPc) in several districts including Thiruvananthapuram. As such, the congregation of more than 5 people has been barred in public place in those districts. The order read, “In light of the surge in the number of COVID-19 cases in the state, public congregations and gatherings pose an impending danger of a super spread of the infection. Hence, an assembly or gathering of more than five people at a time can not be permitted.”

Coronavirus pandemic exposed Kerala’s healthcare system

The hold that communists have over media ensured that these facts regarding Kerala’s terrible management of Coronavirus crisis get pushed under the rug. India’s most literate state, which supposedly had a robust healthcare system, had left behind Uttar Pradesh in the number of active Coronavirus cases. To put things in perspective, the State has 7 times more population than Kerala. British Daily newspaper The Guardian had hailed Kerala’s health Minister KK Shailaja as ‘rockstar’. However, since Kerala has witnessed a drastic rise in cases, she has avoided giving interviews or patronising other state governments to learn from the Kerala model.

Rihanna apologises to Muslim community for using a song with Hadiths in virtual runway show for lingerie collection

OpIndia Staff
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Rihanna apologises to Muslim community for using a song with Hadiths in virtual runway show for lingerie collection

Internationally acclaimed singer Robyn Rihanna Fenty, famous by the name Rihanna, has apologised to Muslim community for using Islamic verses during a lingerie fashion show. She had recently released a new lingerie collection Savage X Fenty. She was widely praised for the show as it promoted the inclusion of men and women of all sizes. However, the show came under heavy criticism for using sacred Islamic verses commonly known as Hadiths. Coucou Chloe produced the track named “Doom” that used the text.

The controversy

The show was streamed on Amazon Prime on Friday. It used a song produced by Coucou Chloe in 2017 that used a remix of a Hadith narration about the end of times and judgment day. It is believed that the Hadith is a written record of the sayings and actions of the Prophet Mohammad and his close associated. These texts are considered to be highly sacred to Muslims and often regarded as secondary only to the Quran in terms of authority.

The backlash from Muslim community

Several fans of Rihanna objected to the use of the said song in the show and asked her to apologize to the Muslim community. However, Rihanna has not yet responded to any such demands.

The followers from the Muslim community are blaming Rihanna for alienating the whole community while her show was supposed to be about the inclusion of everyone.

Apology issued by music producer of DOOM

After the backlash, a spokesperson for Coucou Chloe issued an online apology on twitter. She took full responsibility for the fact that she did not research the meaning of the text. She apologized for using the sacred text in the song ‘DOOM.’ “The song was created using samples from Baile Funk tracks I found online. At the time, I was not aware that these samples used text from an Islamic Hadith,” She added.

She has promised that song would be removed from all streaming platforms soon.

FIR filed against so-called PM of PoK Raja Farooq Haider under Pakistani laws for treason

OpIndia Staff
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FIR filed against so-called PM of PoK Raja Farooq Haider under Pakistani laws for treason

The Imran Khan government in Pakistan has booked Raja Farooq Haider, the so-called Prime Minister of Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) under Pakistani law for treason and sedition. Along with Raja Farooq Haider, the former PM of Pakistan- Nawaz Sharif and several other leaders of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) have also been booked for treason and disloyalty to Pakistan.

The case has been registered on Monday under various sections of the Pakistani laws against Farooq and other leaders, including Sharif’s daughter Maryam Nawaz, former premier Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Senator Pervaiz Rashid, who attended the party’s meetings addressed by Nawaz Sharif from London via a video link last week.

The copy of the FIR

According to the FIR, Nawaz Sharif instigated his party leaders, state institutions and the nation to treason against Pakistan through his “hate-speech” from abroad, and the others had endorsed his speech.

It is imperative to note here that PoK is an integral part of India illegally occupied by Pakistan.

Complainant accuses Nawaz Sharif of providing indirect benefit to “his friend” Modi

In the first information report (FIR), the complainant, one Badar Rasheed, a citizen of Pakistan, alleged that the former PM Nawaz Sharif, who was convicted on corruption charges by the Pakistani courts, had delivered “hateful speeches” while addressing the All Parties Conference (APC), and his party’s Central Working Committee (CWC) and Central Executive Committee (CEC) on September 20 and October 1, against the state, its institutions and the nation as well.

He said the party’s senior leaders who were attending these meetings endorsed speeches of Nawaz Sharif by raising hands.

The complainant further stated that Nawaz Sharif wanted to provide indirect benefit to “his friend Indian prime minister Narendra Damodardas Modi” and “divert attention” from the Indian army’s atrocities in the Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

Imran Khan distances itself from the sedition case against the so-called PM of PoK, Nawaz Sharif and others

Following the registration of a sedition case, the Imran Khan government has distanced itself from the move. While Prime Minister Imran Khan has “expressed his strong displeasure” over the development, the Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry claimed that PM Imran was unaware of the registration of the case against Nawaz Sharif and others. 

He claimed that registering treason case is not PTI government’s policy, adding that such had happened during Nawaz Sharif’s tenure. 

Rahul Gandhi indulges in fearmongering over recently passed farm bills, claims Centre will take away farmers’ land and give it to Adani-Ambani

OpIndia Staff
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Rahul Gandhi indulges in fearmongering over recently passed farm bills, claims Centre will take away farmers’ land and give it to Adani-Ambani

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who is, perhaps, fishing for an ideal opportunity to get reinstalled as the party’s presidential position, made preposterous claims in a rally in Punjab on Wednesday to instil fear among the farmers against the recently passed farm bills by the central government.

Speaking at the Day 3 of the Kheti Bachao Yatra, a rally organised by the Congress party in the midst of coronavirus pandemic, the former Congress president Rahul Gandhi claimed that if the farm legislations are passed, farmers of India will become slaves of Ambani and Adani and their lands will be eventually owned by them.

He made these wild allegations even after the President gave assent to the Bills which led to passage of the Act. To put things in perspective, when the Bills were up for voting in the Houses of Parliament, Rahul Gandhi and his mother Congress President Sonia Gandhi had both skipped the Monsoon session.

Rahul Gandi makes preposterous claims to oppose Farm Bills

The new agricultural bills (now Acts) passed by the Modi government seeks to remove restrictions on the sale of farm produce, grant farmers the freedom to sell their produce anywhere across the country and thereby increase their earnings substantially. However, Rahul Gandhi proffered ludicrous reasons to oppose the benefits that the new Bills will bring to the farmers. He contended that the abolition of Mandi tax would adversely impact the construction of the roads and infrastructure, which in turn would hinder the farmers from transporting their produce to different markets.

“Narendra Modi said that you can sell your produce wherever you want. But in the absence of roads, how will the farmer sell his produce? Roads are constructed from the Mandi Tax and you(Narendra Modi) have abolished the Mandi Tax, which means roads connecting villages to cities and agriculture markets won’t be constructed,” Rahul Gandhi said.

Ironically, while criticising removal of one tax, Rahul Gandhi also criticised imposition of other tax, the Goods and Service Tax (GST). Besides, the Congress MP from Wayanad dredged up the issues of Demonetisation to launch an attack against the Modi government.

He also claimed that the Modi government had not done enough for the farmers who were hit by the coronavirus-induced lockdown. To put things in perspective, in May this year, in about two months after the lockdown, the government had transferred Rs 19,000 crore to bank accounts of over 9.65 crore farmers under the PM-KISAN scheme.

Rahul Gandhi’s anti-farm bills rally could be next coronavirus superspreader

It is pertinent to note here that the rally conducted by Rahul Gandhi in the last three days was amidst the coronavirus pandemic. Though the politicians who attended the rally were seen wearing the masks, a majority of people who attended the rally did not wear masks or observe social distancing norms. However, the only saving grace for the Congress party is not many people attended the rally as large numbers of chairs were reportedly unoccupied.

Punjab Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu, who had attended the rally yesterday and shared the stage with Rahul Gandhi on Monday, tested positive for coronavirus today. His disregard for coronavirus safety guidelines was apparent when he claimed that “masks hardly mattered”. Despite the Punjab Health Minister testing positive for COVID-19, Rahul Gandhi continued with the Day 3 of the anti-farm bills rally, raising concerns among the public health officials of ‘Kheti Bachao Yatra’ turning into a potent coronavirus hotspot and infusing fresh life to the pandemic which seemed largely under control up until now.

Rahul Gandhi targets PM Modi over aircraft the procurement process of which began in 2011 under UPA: Read details

OpIndia Staff
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Rahul Gandhi targets PM Modi over aircraft the procurement process of which began in 2011 under UPA: Read details

Rahul Gandhi addressed a rally at Noorpur in Punjab, a day after sharing the stage with the state health minister Balbir Singh Sidhu who tested positive for the Wuhan Coronavirus on Tuesday. While demonstrating complete disregard for public health, Rahul Gandhi targeted the Prime Minister and the central government over the acquisition of VVIP planes.

The former Congress president said, “On one hand, PM Modi has bought two aircraft worth Rs 8000 crores. On the other hand, China is at our borders and our security forces are braving harsh cold to protect our borders.” He claimed that the plane “bought for more than Rs 8,000 crore of the taxpayers’ money, had not just a cushion but a whole lot of luxury beds for his comfort”.

However, the process for the procurement of these aircraft was initiated almost a decade ago while the UPA was in power and the current government has only brought the process to its logical conclusion, said sources in the know. We were further told that these aircraft belong to the Indian Air Force and not the Prime Minister. Furthermore, the aircraft will be used by other VVIPs as well.

As per sources, the procurement process began in 2011 when a meeting of Committee of Secretaries (CoS) was held on the direction of the Group of Ministers (GoM) wherein it was decided that an Inter-Ministerial Group (IMG) would examine the available options for the long term arrangement of VVIP aircrafts.

The same year, an IMG coordinated by Cabinet Secretariat was set up to consider all the options, including acquisition, management and utilization of aircraft for VVIP operations. The IMG met around ten times and submitted its recommendations the next year. Two options were recommended: the conversion of an existing B777 ER, or the usage of one of the new ones that were ordered by Air India but yet to be delivered.

Furthermore, were informed that the Cabinet Secretariat recommended transfer of the aircraft to the Indian Air Force in August, 2013. Thereafter, the process was brought to its logical conclusion. Also, the aircraft used for travel by VVIPs till now, the Air India Jumbo Jets, are over 25 years old. In addition to being incapable of long, trans-Atlantic flights, forcing halt enroute for refueling and replenishment purposes, they are also fuel guzzlers of epic proportions.

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