WATCH: Indians wish IAF best as ‘panauti’ Modi flies Tejas aircraft

BENGALURU: Narendra Modi became the first Indian prime minister to fly the indigenous light combat aircraft (LCA) Tejas on Saturday, triggering hilarious responses from netizens who termed him the “biggest panauti (bad luck)” for the force.

Attired in a G-suite, Modi co-piloted a trainer version of the indigenously produced aircraft as he went on a sortie which lasted a few minutes.

He was accompanied by an Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot as the aircraft took off from the Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) Airport in Bengaluru.

“Successfully completed a sortie on the Tejas. The experience was incredibly enriching, significantly bolstering my confidence in our country’s indigenous capabilities, and leaving me with a renewed sense of pride and optimism about our national potential,” Modi said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, badminton player PV Sindu, and Singapore Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen are among the other civilians who have co-piloted the Tejas.

Among the foreigners who have flown the Tejas include USAF chief General David L Goldfein, and French Air Force chief General André Lanata and are among the foreign dignitaries who have also flown the Tejas.

Here’s how netizens reacted:

An X user with the name of Shantanu wished the IAF good luck along with pictures of former Indian PM Rajiv Gandhi and “panauti” Modi.

The term was recently used for him after the Indian team’s shocking defeat in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 final which he watched from the stadium.

The Men in Blue won all 10 matches of the tournament but lost the final against Australia which many Indians believe happened because Modi was there.

“Best wishes to the Indian Air Force for the next few months,” he captioned.

Another social media user, Kiran Rajput, asked to whom he was waving in the sky.

Moreover, Akshit advised IAF to hold prayers as the “biggest panauti” has arrived. 

A user named Rhea called him “nautanki” (drama).