Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday targeted the Opposition for allegedly spreading lies and misinformation using the name of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), stressing that the state-owned firm’s prowess had exposed lies against the government, in what appeared to be a veiled reference to allegations around the Rafale deal.
Modi’s comments came while inaugurating HAL’s largest helicopter manufacturing facility at Tumakuru in Karnataka, in what is being seen as a shot in the arm for aatmanirbharta (self-reliance) in defence manufacturing.
“I want to remind you of a few things from some years ago. This is the same HAL that was used by some people to level different types of false allegations against the government. This is the same HAL whose name was used to hatch a conspiracy to provoke people, and hours and hours of Parliament were wasted. HAL’s new factory and its growing prowess has exposed several old lies, and those who made the false allegations,” Modi said, without naming any opposition party in particular. “A lie, no matter how big or spoken how many times or by any number of big people, is defeated by truth one day, he said.
In the run up to the 2019 general elections, the Congress had escalated its attacks on the government over the Rafale deal, with then party chief Rahul Gandhi demanding then defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s resignation for “lying” on the capability of HAL to build the fighter aircraft.
The National Democratic Alliance government’s decision to enter into a ₹59,000 crore government-to-government deal with France to buy 36 Rafale warplanes was announced in April 2015, with the deal signed a little over a year later. This replaced the United Progressive Alliance regime’s decision to buy 126 Rafale aircraft, 108 of which were to be made in India by HAL using parts imported from France. The Rafale deal had also become controversial on account of the fact that one of the offset deals signed by Dassault was with the Reliance Group of Anil Ambani. The Congress claimed the earlier deal was scrapped and a new one signed to help private contractors. Both the government and Reliance repeatedly denied this.
The Congress hit back at Modi for his remarks. “With upcoming Karnataka elections, PM Modi is doing what he does best- Lying. He claims HAL was used by Congress to target him. Truth is, the UPA Rafale deal ensured HAL manufactures 108 jets with transfer of technology, but Modi bypassed HAL & simply bought 36 jets from France,” party’s communication in-charge Jairam Ramesh tweeted.
Meanwhile, defence minister Rajnath Singh, who was also present at the event, underlined the importance of self-reliance in the defence sector. “If the national movement, which started a century ago, culminated in the first phase of our Independence, then the ‘self-reliant India’ movement marks the second phase of our independence. This phase will see us moving towards freedom from foreign defence equipment,” he said.
HAL’s Tumakuru factory, spread across 615 acres, will initially produce the light utility helicopters (LUH), followed by light combat helicopters (LCH) and later the Indian multi-role helicopters (IMRH). Modi laid the foundation stone of the facility in 2016.