Congress President Rahul Gandhi, who is attacking Prime Minister Modi on the controversial Rafale fighter jet deal with the French aerospace company Dassault aviation strategically met some retired and current employees of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in Bengaluru on Saturday and assured them his support to fight the injustice done to them. He interacted with them in front of the HAL corporate office and said Indian defence need companies like HAL.
He said “HAL, for me, is not just a company. It is an institution. When we got our independence, India built strategic assets to enter aerospace sectors. The work you have done is tremendous and the country owes a huge debt to you.’
“When Mr. Obama says there are only 2 countries that challenge USA are India and China, you (HAL) are an important part of it, “ Rahul Gandhi said.
“I have come here to listen to you how this strategic asset can be made more effective and the type of difficulties you are facing,” said Rahul Gandhi .
Even though the employees union of the HAL officially did not participate , some employees and retired officials shared their views.
Gandhi said he came to the HAL to understand the problems and challenges faced by the employees. Though the company has advised its employees to stay away from the meeting as per the employment rules and service conditions, a few of them met Gandhi along with their retired colleagues and express their concerns over the Rafale Deal.
Prior to his visit to HAL Gandhi said there was a need to “defend the dignity of India’s defenders” as he accused the Narendra Modi government of “snatching” the Rafale offset contract from HAL and “gifting” it to Anil Ambani’s company.
“HAL is India’s strategic asset. The future of India’s aerospace industry has been destroyed by snatching #Rafale from HAL & gifting it to Anil Ambani,” the Congress president tweeted.
Rahul Gandhi said “There are a couple of questions you have raised. Two lines for stuck in my mind. These are the temples of modern India and they are being destroyed and we cannot allow these to be destroyed. Second point is that you have worked for 70 years. If somebody thinks they can build their future on your graves that won’t be allowed either. There is tremendous amount of experience you have and it cannot be destroyed in this manner. You are fighting for this and I want to tell you that we will also not allow it”.
Gandhi assured the employees who had gathered and blamed Defence Minister without taking her name for her remarks on HAL and its capabilities. He said “Somebody said HAL does not have the capability. What about the person who got the contract? What capability does he have? I can see HAL capabilities here, I can see 78 years of your work. When I was small everybody used to talk about NAT aircraft and HAL gave it”.
“You have a history. And I understand that you are pained and hurt. This is as important to me as any corruption. You feel insulted and I understand that you are hurt and I want to stand with you in your discomfort”, he added in his concluding remarks.
He blamed the government and said “What is the experience the person who got contract has? You have been here 78 years and he had been here for 10 days. You don’t have debt in fact Government took 5000 crore from you but person who got contract has 40000 crore debt”.
“The public sector is the backbone of this country and of Bengaluru and of the defence forces and I’m not just taking HAL but ISRO,NAL and DRDO. We are going to fight for you. This Rafale aircraft is your right and you are the only company capable. One should look at merit and make an objective decision merit. And based on that nobody would’ve chosen the other company”, he added.
Sirajuddin a retired HAL Employee, said, “We have been insulted and let down. A company of 70 years of experience is thrown out of the Rafale agreement. I do not understand. A large and experienced company that should have been improved but you are killing us.”
“HAL is leading the aviation industry in South East Asia. Do you want to kill this industry? It is an insult to an injury. We will not tolerate this. For the first time in my life, I have seen the govt issuing a directive advising employees against attending an event, “he added.
Meanwhile the state BJP attacked Rahul Gandhi and blamed UPA Government for killing the defence PSU HAL. They posed series of questions and blamed him for misguiding the public. The party also blamed UPA for neglecting HAL.
A French news portal —Mediapart — recently quoted Dassault Aviation’s deputy CEO as saying that Reliance Defence was given to the French company as an ‘obligatory’ offset partner for the Rafale deal. In its earlier report, the French website had quoted former French President Francois Hollande as saying that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government had proposed Reliance Defence as the partner for the deal. The congress in its quest to defeat the BJP in the ensuing elections is making this a major poll plank and Rafale has become a weapon to fire.
