RSS-affiliate workers’ organisation BPMS flays Modi govt for strike in ordnance factories

RSS-affiliate Bhartiya Pratiraksha Mazdoor Sangh (BPMS) has slammed Modi government over the ongoing strike in ordnance factories across India and questioned the intention of the government behind proposed “corporatisation” of Kolkata based Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) – the umbrella body for these factories.

General secretary of BPMS, Mukesh Singh thrashed Modi government and asked, “Is not vikas of defence workers part of Sabka Saath slogan?

“On this proposal of corporatisation, we want to ask Prime Minister Narendra Modi that when he gives the country a slogan of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas’, doesn’t he mean the ‘Vikas’ of over 80,000 defence civilian workers? Doesn’t he want the ‘saath’ of these workers anymore?” Singh was quoted as saying by the media.

Extending his support to the strike, Singh said that the strike in the ordnance factories is against the “corporatisation” proposed by the government.

Over 80,000 workers from across the 41 ordnance factories in India have gone on a month-long strike from Tuesday against the proposed “corporatisation” of the OFB.

It is important to note that the strike was called by labour organisations associated with the CPM and Congress but was supported by the RSS-affiliate BPMS also.

All India Defence Employees’ Federation (AIDEF) affiliated to the CPM’s CITU and the Indian National Defence Workers’ Federation (INDWF) of the Congress’s INTUC have called the strike.

Indian Express has reported that the almost all civilian workers from the Ammunition Factory in Khadki, High Explosives Factory in Khadki and Ordnance Factory in Dehu Road are on strike.

Media reported that the Ministry of Defence is considering a proposal to convert OFB – a subordinate office of the ministry, into one or more than one government-owned corporate entities registered under the Companies Act, 2013.

Defence minister Rajnath Singh, as per the media report has shot off a joint letter to the general secretaries of the three organisations — C Srikumar of AIDEF, R Srinivasan of INDWF and Mukesh Singh of BPMS, and said, “Converting the Ordnance Factories into Corporation is not commercially viable because of fluctuations in orders, long gaps between orders, uneconomical order quantity and life cycle support required for 30-40 years after introduction of equipment.”