Rahul Gandhi: HAL cash crunch will force engineers & scientists to move to AA’s venture

Stepping up the Congress's attack on Modi government over HAL's reported cash crunch, the Congress President Rahul Gandhi said in a tweet that without salaries, HAL’s best engineers and scientists will now be forced to move to AA’s (Anil Ambani) venture:

Senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel too on Monday alleged that the government had not paid the aerospace major for delivered products, but paid foreign vendors like Dassault for products yet to be delivered.

The Congress and the BJP-led NDA government are involved in a war of words over the financial condition of the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

"Very disturbing that Government has not paid HAL for products that have been delivered but paid foreign vendors like Dassault for products that are not yet delivered!," Patel said in a tweet.

"As a result HAL is a broke & is borrowing money to pay salaries. Is this Make in India? (sic)," he said.

Earlier on January 4, Ahmed Patel took to Twitter to target government on the plight of public sector units (PSUs) referring to the media reports that HAL is borrowing money to pay salaries:

Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) on Sunday, January 6, said it had taken an overdraft of ₹962 crore.

"With anticipated collection up to March, the cash position is expected to improve. Orders for LCA (Light Combat Aircraft) Mark 1A 83 and LCH (Light Combat Helicopter) 15 are in advanced stages," said the city-based defence behemoth in a tweet from its official Twitter account.

The company also said its belated tweet on a Sunday night was in response to "the various media reports on HAL".

The Congress has been targeting the government, alleging that it denied HAL an offset contract under the Rafale fighter jets deal with France, a charge the government has denied.

Ahmed Patel’s attack comes a day after Congress president Rahul Gandhi alleged that Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman "lied" in Parliament that government orders worth Rs one lakh crore were provided to HAL, while demanding that she should either place the documents in support of her statement in the House or resign.

The war of words between the opposition party and the government was triggered after a media report claimed that grappling with low finances, HAL was forced to borrow ₹1,000 crore to pay salaries to its employees for the first time in years

With PTI inputs