Congress Criticizes Home Minister on Ahmedabad Crash: 'Promise Accountability, Not Lectures on Fate'

Shah had reached Ahmedabad hours after the crash and remarked that the intense heat from the burning fuel in the Air India plane left no chance of saving anyone.

Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh posted on X, "The Congress party pays tribute to all passengers, crew members, and innocent people near the crash site who lost their lives in the AI-171 plane crash. We extend our deepest condolences to the families affected by this tragedy."

He added, "This is an extremely horrific and heartbreaking accident that has plunged the entire nation into deep sorrow and shock. The Congress party stands with the nation in this time of collective grief and pain."

Congress media chief Pawan Khera shared a brief video of Shah’s statement on X, writing, "When a plane crashes and people die, the Home Minister could at least promise accountability instead of lecturing on fate."

He stated, "Aviation accidents are not acts of God—they can be prevented. That’s why we have aviation regulators, safety protocols, and crisis response systems."

The Congress leader asked whether, per the Home Minister’s logic, investments in safety infrastructure, regulations, or crisis preparedness should be entirely stopped and left to fate.

Considered one of the deadliest aviation disasters in Indian history, the Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, carrying 242 people, crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad airport. The flight, AI-171, bound for London Gatwick, crashed into a residential complex near B.J. Medical College, killing 241 people on board.

The ill-fated flight carried 230 passengers, 10 cabin crew members, and two pilots. According to officials, only one person, a British citizen of Indian origin seated in 11A, survived and is currently undergoing treatment in a local hospital.