Ahmedabad plane crash: Govt should give compensation, must fix accountability, says Kharge

Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday said the Union government must fix accountability in the horrific Air India plane crash.

Talking to reporters after meeting injured persons at Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, Kharge also said the Centre must give compensation to the kin of the deceased and to the injured.

"The government must give compensation to kin of plane crash victims and fix accountability," he asserted when reminded by mediapersons that neither the state government nor the Centre had announced compensation as yet.

The Ahmedabad-London flight crashed into buildings on a medical college campus in Meghaninagar shortly after taking off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Airport on Thursday, killing 241 out of 242 persons on board as well as several others on the ground.

Kharge also visited the site of the crash along with senior Congress leaders Shaktisinh Gohil and Mukul Wasnik.

Expressing grief at the deaths of Indian nationals as well as foreign citizens on board the aircraft and on the ground, including medical students, Kharge said people of the city will never forget the horrific crash.

"Nobody should take such incidents lightly and say such things keep happening or that this is routine. 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," Kharge asserted.

The Congress chief said he and his party colleagues were here to give strength to the kin of the deceased and to the injured.

Kharge added he would not say anything about the need for an inquiry as it currently is a time of grief.

"The black box has been found. Let its findings come. After that, we will raise demands accordingly," the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha said.

Kharge said he and his party colleagues met the injured medical students and lone survivor Vishwaskumar Ramesh.