Congress' 85 Per Cent Commission Govt Ruined HAL, Defence Sector Was Like A 'Club' For Them To 'Plunder The Nation': PM Modi In Karnataka

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday (5 May) slammed Congress for misleading Hindustan Aeronautics Limited employees during the army's deployment on the border a few years ago.

He also said that they are no longer discussing the public sector company, as it was profitable.

He also claimed that the defence sector was like a club for the Congress which their close relatives could plunder.

During an election rally in the poll-bound Karnataka on Friday, PM Modi made an apparent reference to allegations made by former Congress President Rahul Gandhi regarding the Rafale deal and taking away jobs from HAL.

"Remember the lies they had spread four-five years ago. They tried to mislead the HAL workers. It was done at a time when our Army was deployed on the border," PM Modi said.

According to Modi, Congress leaders are now avoiding mentioning HAL in the current election campaign in Karnataka.

He said that this was because HAL had made a record profit.

The Prime Minister said "earlier due to theft, no profit was happening" but after he came to power, the state-run entity started registering profits.

PM Modi further said that when the Congress was ruling, no defence deal happened "without commission".

He added that it is the BJP, which is setting up modern defence factories and strengthening the Indian Army.

Addressing an election rally in Karnataka's Tumakuru, PM Modi accused Congress of ruining the HAL, calling them an 85 per cent commission government who treated the defence sector as a source of plunder for relatives.

"For Congress, defence sector was a club where maternal uncles, paternal uncles and close relatives could plunder the nation. This was Congress' 85 per cent commission government which had ruined the HAL," he said.

PM Modi also explained the need for a 'double engine' government, saying that Asia's biggest helicopter factory of HAL at Tumakuru stands testimony to having the same party governments at the Centre and in the state.

Due to the factory, Tumakuru is "shining on the world map", the Prime Minister said adding, the people of the district gave him the opportunity to lay the foundation and inaugurate the helicopter unit.

"A big helicopter manufacturing unit could come up because we laid emphasis on the 'Made In India' system for the Indian armed forces but Congress always wanted India to be dependent on imported products," PM Modi said, reports NDTV.