Congress counters BJP's criticism of Vadra: 'Scindia played cricket as nation mourned CDS'

Countering BJP's criticism of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's Goa visit during CDS Gen. Bipin Rapat's cremation, Congress on Sunday, pointed out that Union Civil Aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia was playing cricket. Taking to Twitter, MP Congress also questioned how the minister was 'allowed to be so shameless' while India mourned CDS Gen. Rawat's death. Gen. Rawat, his wife Madhulika and 11 other defence personnel died in an IAF aircrash in Coonor on December 9.

Congress Vs BJP

Similarly,  BJP I-T chief Amit Malviya had slammed Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's exuberant rally in Goa on Friday for her insensitivity as India mourned Gen. Rawat's loss. Commenting on Vadra's dance with local folk dancers, Malviya likened it to Rahul Gandhi's alleged partying during 26/11 attacks. Kicking off her Goa campaign, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had danced with the women of the tribal community in Morpirla.

IAF chopper crashes killing 13 including Gen Rawat

In a tragic development on December 9, India's Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat, his wife Madhulika Rawat and 11 other defence personnel were killed after an IAF Mi-17 V5 helicopter carrying 14 crashed in Tamil Nadu's Coonoor. All communications with the chopper were lost just before the crash between Coimbatore and Sulur in Tamil Nadu. 63-year-old Rawat along with his wife and his staff was travelling to Wellington Staff College to deliver a lecture at 2:45 PM. One person survived the crash, Group Captain Varun Singh SC - who is on life support.

Those deceased include - CDS Gen. Bipin Rawat, Mrs. Madhulika Rawat, his Defence Adviser Brig Lakhbinder Singh Lidder, Staff Officer Lt Col Harjinder Singh,  Wing Commander Prithvi Singh Chauhan, Squadron Leader Kuldeep Singh, Junior Warrant Officer Rana Pratap Das, Junior Warrant Officer Arakkal Pradeep, Havildar Satpal Rai, Naik Gursewak Singh, Naik Jitendra Kumar, Lance Naik Vivek Kumar, Lance Naik B Sai Teja. Sources revealed that  Rawat's helicopter had announced its descent in 7-8 minutes in its last communication and did not make a distress call to the airbase, before it crashed. Cremation of all defence personnel and Mrs Rawat was done with military honours.

A tri-service team led by Air Marshal Manavendra Singh is investigating the tragic chopper crash near Coonoor that killed CDS Gen Bipin Rawat and 12 others, focusing on all possible reasons including whether a human error caused the accident, people familiar with the development said on Thursday. The black box, comprising the flight data recorder (FDR) and the cockpit voice recorder (CVR), of the ill-fated Mi-17V5 helicopter of the Indian Air Force was recovered from the crash site. Army chief Gen MM Naravane is the frontrunner to be elevated to CDS.