Bengaluru: Participating in an event organised by the Congress party former Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) Bengaluru and Indian Air Force (IAF) employees on Saturday shared with Rahul Gandhi their anguish, pain and grief over the way India's leading aviation company was ignored for Rafale deal.
"To keep a prosthetic limb alive, you can't kill a living organ", Babu T Raghav, former Engineer of Indian Airforce (IAF), said.
"During the Cold War, HAL was the only company that had an opportunity to work with Russian technologies. It is the best organisation in Asia", he added.
"Whenever HAL representatives visited our squadrons, we knew there are new hopes and new technologies. HAL and IAF are like two wings of one flight", Babu said.
Expressing similar feelings Sirajuddin, a retired HAL employee, said they felt let down and insulted.
"HAL is leading the aviation industry in South East Asia. Do you want to kill this industry? It is an insult and injury. We will not tolerate this?" he 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. You are killing us", he added.
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Mahadevan, a former HAL employee, while sharing his views said defence production cannot be given to private individuals. "It is a strategic asset", he said.
"Bengaluru was the Public Sector Capital of India. Protecting our employment is the most important thing. In the new Rafale agreement, there is no transfer of technology", he said.
Stating that HAL is Pride of Karnataka, trade union Activist Umesh said, "Our identity is taken away. We will not allow this. Today's Rafale issue is not just a corruption issue, but also of PSU which is the backbone of India."
Earlier, Congress President Rahul Gandhi while inviting the IAF and HAL - present and former, who were present in a large number to speak up and share what they feel about the deal.
"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 & the country owes a huge debt to you", he said.
"Public Sectors are the temples of modern India. We cannot allow them to be destroyed. If somebody thinks they can build their future on your graves, that cannot be allowed. We are going to fight for your future", he added.
Rahul Gandhi's interaction with HAL and IAF staffers was part of his onslaught against the Modi government over the Rafale deal in which he alleged that HAL had been overlooked in the offsets contracts with French aerospace company Dassault Aviation preferring Anil Ambani's debt-ridden company.
In 2016, India signed the deal with France for 36 Rafale jets after the erstwhile UPA government's negotiations were scrapped. The UPA government had planned to buy 18 off-the-shelf jets from Dassault and 108 were to be assembled by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), the state-run defence manufacturer, in Bengaluru. According to the new deal, India is buying 36 ready-to-fly Rafale jets.
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