IAF Pilot Abhinandan returns India
Amid escalation of tensions between India and Pakistan, the captured Indian Air Force pilot, Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, returns to India tonight.
A day before, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan had announced that the IAF pilot will be sent back to India as a “gesture of peace”. The announcement was welcomed by the people all over the country.
Leaders from across the political spectrum embraced the pilot’s return, and tweeted after his return to India.
PM Modi welcomed Abhinandan on his return to India and tweeted "Welcome Home Wing Commander Abhinandan! The nation is proud of your exemplary courage. Our armed forces are an inspiration for 130 crore Indians. Vande Mataram!"
Welcoming Wing Commander Abhinandan to India, President Ramnath Kovind tweeted,"Welcome home Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman! India is proud of your courage and sense of duty, and above all your dignity. Wishing you and our entire Air Force every success in the future."
"Dear Wing Commander Abhinandan, entire nation is proud of your courage and valour. India is glad to have you back. May you continue to serve the nation and IAF with unparalleled passion and dedication. Best wishes for your bright future," Amit Shah tweeted.
Delhi Chief Minister said that a grateful nation salutes Wing Commander Abhinandan.
Congress President Rahul Gandhi tweeted,"Wing Cdr. Abhinandan, your dignity, poise and bravery made us all proud. Welcome back and much love."
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman tweeted, "Proud of you Wing Commander #AbhinandanVarthaman. The entire nation appreciates your valour and grit. You held your calm in the face of adversity. You are an inspiration to our youth. Salute. Vande Mataram. Jai Hind."
Union Ministers Rajnath Singh and Ravi Shankar Prasad too lauded the pilot for his bravery and welcomed him back to the country.
"Welcome home. The entire nation is proud of Wing Commander Abhinandan," Singh, the Minister for Home Affairs, tweeted.
Prasad tweeted, "Proud of your courage Wing Commander Abhinandan! Welcome back home. Abhinandan to you. Jai Hind. Bharat Mata Ki Jai."
Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah tweeted, "Welcome home Wing Commander. It's great to have you back."
Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot tweeted, "Relieved and glad that Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman is back home. I welcome him on Indian soil and salute his valour. The nation is proud of its armed forces."
The Congress also put up a picture of Abhinandan on its Twitter handle and tweeted, "Welcome home Wing Commander Abhinandan. We are happy to have you back. You have been a true hero to all of us. Salute. Jai Hind."
RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav said, "India Salutes you Wing Commander Abhinanand! Welcome Back! You are the real hero."
Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh said, "Join the nation in warmly welcoming back our hero Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman! Your resoluteness and poise in the face of adversity makes me proud as an Indian and former soldier. Welcome back son! Jai Hind."
Samajwadi Party chief and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav tweeted, "The nation salutes you Wing Commander. Welcome home!"
CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury tweeted, "Home, finally, Wing Commander Abhinandan! Welcome back."
Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis also tweeted, "Abhinandan’ Bharat ! Our Abhinandan is back with us!"
Karnataka chief minister H D Kumaraswamy said, "Extremely happy that Our Hero #IAF pilot Wing Commander #AbhinandanVarthaman is back. The grace, grit, and commitment he showed during the toughest time is really admirable. We are proud of him. The nation salutes his bravery. Welcome Home Abhinandan."
Earlier today West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee welcomed Abhinandan’s return.
President of the Samajwadi Party, Akhilesh Yadav tweeted," I look forward to welcoming braveheart Wing Commander Abhinandan home. We will never forget the supreme sacrifice of our brave martyrs and their families. Pak should walk the talk on dismantling it's home grown terror networks. I hope that peace prevails. #WelcomeHomeAbhinandan."
Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry Kiran Bedi saluted the pilot, his family and India’s leadership in facilitating his return.
Congress MP and spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi praised the bravery of the pilot by posting a poem on Twitter.
“Your indomitable courage & dignified poise in face of adversity has won hearts & minds of all Indians,” Congress MLA Randeep Singh Surjewala tweeted.
Shatrughan Sinha also whole heartedly welcomed the brave and dashing IAF pilot.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan welcomed the pilot and said, “It is heartening to learn about the release of IAF Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman. He has inspired the entire country with his bravery and conduct.”
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, too, lauded the pilot’s bravery.
"WC Abhinandan will return home to his loved ones today. In this moment lets not forget the symbolic gesture that made it possible. And I hope for once certain media channels give praise where its due instead of indulging in petty debates. #WelcomeBackAbhinandan." Mehbooba Mufti tweeted.
N Chandrababu Naidu also saluted the bravery of the pilot.
