The Left parties and their trade unions on Thursday condemned the corporatisation plan of Ordnance Factories under the Defence Ministry. CPI general secretary D Raja and CITU general secretary Tapan Sen said this is a clear move to sell the factories under Company Law and later sell to private players.
“Some 44 Ordnance Factories operating under Ordnance Factories Board under Ministry of Defence will be split in seven pieces and seven corporations will be formed under Companies Act. More than seventy five percent requirements of our defence forces are being successfully and timely produced and supplied by our Ordnance Factories with incomparable efficiency and assured quality.
Country’s Ordnance Factories network is an unquestionable example of “Atmanirbhar Bharat”, the phrase being so much noisily touted by the Modi Govt, in the respective areas of production and services. There is absolutely no valid rationale for such drastic alteration of the existing structure of the Ordnance Factories network,” said Sen in a detailed statement, supporting protest of the factory staff on June 19.
“And present move for corporatisation of Ordnance Factories, that too being pushed through in the midst of 2nd wave of pandemic, is in gross violation of the understanding and assurances given by the Government to the united platform of Defence workers’ federations in the face of their decision to go in for indefinite strike from 12th October 2020,” said Sen.
CPI general secretary Raja termed the corporatization as “ill-designed move.”
“At least five ministers in the past including late Manohar Parrikar, former defence minister of the BJP government had given written assurances to the work force that the Ordnance Factories would not be corporatised.