Mocked for sitting on 'cushioned seats', Rahul Gandhi attacks PM Modi over 'custom-made' Boeing aircraft purchase

On being asked by reporters to comment over such massive amount of expenditure, Gandhi said: "Why don't you question them about this? It is strange that nobody is asking about the Boeing 777 purchased for this whopping amount but everyone is quick to point to a gaddi (cushion)."

Boeing aircraft "did not just have a cushion but a whole lot of luxury beds for his comfort", Gandhi claimed.

"On one hand, Prime Minister Modi has bought two aircraft worth ₹ 8,000 crore. On the other, China is at our borders and our security forces are braving harsh winters to protect (us)," he said on the day two of his 3-day tractor rally, adding that the cushions had been placed there by well-wishers.

Gandhi's comment triggered an immediate response from sources in the government.

According to NDTV, the sources pointed out that the procurement process for the planes - one of which is for VVIPs - was started under the Congress-led UPA administration and said it had simply concluded the purchase.

The sources clarified that the planes, which belong to the Indian Air Force, are not "the PM's aircrafts" but were meant for use by other VVIPs as well.

Meanwhile, the opposition has waged a massive protest against the new reforms that they say will leave the farmers at the mercy of the corporates and deprive them of a fair deal of their produce.

On Monday, pictures of Rahul Gandhi sitting in a tractor on what appeared to be a cushioned seat, provoked a jibe from Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri.

"The 'protest' launched by the Congress is a political protest by those whose vested interests are hurt by the farm bills. Cushioned sofas on tractors is not a protest... it is 'protest tourism' to misguide our farmers, who are educated and intelligent enough to see through this facade," Puri tweeted.

On Tuesday, too, Gandhi was seen travelling in a tractor fitted with cushioned seats accompanied by Congress leaders.