Congress president Rahul Gandhi said his party will fight for the rights of HAL employees claiming that the public sector has been denied its legitimate right to produce the fighter jet Rafale.

 

Interacting with HAL’s present and past employees, Gandhi said the contract to build the aircraft should have been given on merit. “Rafale contract should have been given to you because if there is anyone who can build this aircraft, it is the HAL.”

 

During the course of the interaction at Minsk Square, close to the HAL headquarters here, a few unions representing the PSU employees presented a memorandum to Gandhi urging him to intervene on their behalf for bagging the contract.

 

The Congress president who is one a day’s visit to Bengaluru, said the HAL has a history of making military jets “whereas the company which has bagged the contract was set up 10 days before it received such a huge deal.” He said a senior government official had said that HAL does not have the capacity to build Rafale jets, “but what capacity does the company which bagged the contract have,” he asked.

 

He also pointed out that HAL was a zero debt PSU whereas the company which won the deal has a debt of around Rs 45,000 crore. “HAL is the backbone of this country, of the defence forces, of Bengaluru and it has been denied the right to get the contract.”

 

“HAL is a strategic asset. We are going to protect your future; we are going to fight for your rights. I am there for you. You can call me anytime. The forces which are trying to take away your power, they are well connected. Therefore we have to build a relationship and only then can we fight for you,” Gandhi said.

 

 

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