HAL a "strategic asset," says Rahul as he steps attack over Rafale deal
Bengaluru, Oct 13 : Congress president Rahul Gandhi today described HAL as a "strategic asset" in aerospace, saying the country owed a debt to it, as he stepped up his campaign against the Modi government over the Rafale fighter jet deal.
Reaching out to present and former employees of the defence PSU at an interaction with them here, Gandhi said, work done by HAL for the country was tremendous and the country owed debt to it for "protecting us" and creating a scientific vision.
"....HAL is a strategic asset in aerospace, not an ordinary or regular company," Gandhi said at the event organised at Minsk Square near the HAL headquarters.
He said he was interacting with the employees to understand how to make "this strategic asset" (HAL) more effective "so that when we come to power, we will do it more aggressively."
Gandhi's interaction is part of his onslaught against the Modi government over the Rafale deal in which he alleges HAL had been overlooked in the offsets contracts with French aerospace company Dassault Aviation preferring Anil Ambani's company.
The Congress, which has been accusing the government of benefiting the Reliance Defence Ltd of Anil Ambani from the deal, has also been demanding answers on why the state-run aerospace major HAL was not involved in the deal as finalised during the UPA.
The party had been accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of snatching jobs of people of Karnataka by taking away the contract from HAL.
Gandhi had been saying that had HAL been selected in place of Reliance Defence it could have generated employment to scores of unemployed youth in the state.
However, the BJP and Reliance Defence have dismissed all the allegations as false.
Modi had announced the procurement of 36 Rafale fighters after holding talks with then French President Francois Hollande on April 10, 2015, in Paris.
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1,600 Indians travel to India on 5 Qatar Airways flights amid airspace curbs
Doha (PTI): Around 1,600 Indian nationals travelled to India on five Qatar Airways flights on Tuesday, even as the airline continues to operate limited services due to restrictions on Qatar's airspace, the Indian Embassy here said.
The flights included two services to Delhi and one each to Mumbai, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram, the embassy said in a social media post.
"In total, about 1600 Indian nationals travelled on Qatar Airways flights today," it said.
The mission noted that Qatar's airspace remains largely closed and Qatar Airways is currently operating only limited, non-scheduled flights.
The airline has announced services to nine Indian destinations starting Wednesday, and passengers can make bookings through the Qatar Airways website, mobile application or authorised travel agents.
The embassy said it continues to facilitate temporary Saudi transit visas for stranded Indian nationals wishing to travel to India via Saudi Arabia by crossing the Salwa land border.
The mission will remain open on all days in the coming week to provide consular services, including issuance of passports, while its control room and helplines through phone, email and WhatsApp will continue to function on a 24/7 basis.
It urged the Indian community to follow instructions issued by Qatari authorities and exercise responsibility in sharing information to help maintain public safety and community stability.
The embassy and Indian community organisations have also collaborated to support members of the Indian fishermen community in Qatar by providing dry rations to those in need.
Tensions in West Asia continue to escalate following the US-Israel strikes on Iran since February 28.
