It is perplexing that the Hon’ble Prime Minister and Home Minister rushed to Ahmedabad to express condolences after the recent air crash. Was this urgency driven by the fact that Gujarat is a BJP-ruled state? Even Goa declared a one-day state mourning, despite having no direct connection to the incident. What, exactly, justifies such a response? The cascade of statements from Chief Ministers and political figures seemed less about grief and more about outdoing each other in the public eye. This orchestrated display appears to be more about optics and political mileage than genuine empathy. What is notably missing, however, is action. Neither the PM, HM, nor the Gujarat CM announced any ex gratia compensation—a gesture that would have gone beyond hollow words and shown real concern for the families affected. Rescue and relief operations followed standard protocol; there was nothing exceptional that merited special praise. Was it the presence of a high-profile figure like former CM Vijay Nipani that drew the country’s top leaders to Ahmedabad? Such a show of political presence is unprecedented in similar accidents, which typically receive only token sympathy.
Aside from Air India’s commitment to compensation and assistance, no concrete support has been promised to the victims’ families. The rest has been mere theatrics—grandstanding in the name of compassion. We must stop this spectacle of crocodile tears. Selective sympathy insults the very notion of equality in death. True national empathy demands consistency, sincerity, and above all, action—not just headline-chasing gestures.
