After the political slugfest over diyas and Ayodhya celebrations, a new flashpoint emerged on Tuesday — this time over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Diwali celebrations aboard INS Vikrant, drawing sharp exchanges between the BJP and the Congress.
The row saw Congress leader Surendra Rajput criticising the Prime Minister’s visit as a “photo op” on a warship that, he noted, was commissioned during the Congress era. “We have no issues with the PM spending Diwali on a Naval warship, the point is taking credit for something he is not responsible for, he should acknowledge that it was built during Congress’ regime. We did not raise any questions on the PM’s visit. But if the PM does politics on such issues, he should be ready for retaliation,” he said. The BJP hit back, alleging that the Gandhi family had “treated naval warships as personal vacation spots” — a reference to a controversy surrounding former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s 1987 visit to INS Viraat which Naval officers clarified as an official visit.
Continuing his tradition of spending Diwali with India’s armed forces, PM Modi this year celebrated the festival aboard INS Vikrant — the country’s first indigenously built aircraft carrier — off the coast of Goa and Karwar. He interacted with naval officers and sailors, calling it a “special Diwali on the seas” and lauded the Indian Navy’s growing might and its contribution to maritime security. “India’s borders are secure because of our brave soldiers. The Navy is writing a new chapter in self-reliance and strength,” the Prime Minister said, reiterating his government’s commitment to defence modernisation and the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ initiative.
PM Modi during the 2019 campaign had accused Rajiv Gandhi of “using INS Viraat as a personal taxi” for a family holiday in the Lakshadweep Islands during the 1980s. At the time, the BJP alleged that members of the Gandhi family and their guests were hosted on the vessel, diverting it from its operational duties. The Congress has consistently rejected these allegations, citing statements from naval officers who clarified that Rajiv Gandhi’s visit was official and conducted as per protocol. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had also ridiculed the BJP’s claims, remarking, “Why would anyone vacation on an aircraft carrier? It’s not a cruise ship.”
Analysts say that equating the two is oversimplifying vastly different contexts but that’s how the politics is at the moment. PM Modi’s visit was part of a decade-long tradition of spending Diwali with the armed forces, intended to honour service personnel and project a message of national pride and self-reliance. His interaction with officers and sailors aboard India’s first indigenously built aircraft carrier also dovetailed neatly with his government’s Atmanirbhar Bharat and defence modernisation narratives.
Rajiv Gandhi’s case, however, stemmed from an entirely different situation and era. His visit to INS Viraat took place during a trip to Lakshadweep that included family members and guests. Critics, particularly the BJP, have long claimed the warship was used as a “personal taxi” for a vacation — an allegation Congress and several naval officers rejected. They assert that the visit was official, protocol was followed, and no operational duties were compromised.
