Congress accuses govt of 'strangulating' ISRO, slams 'aggressive privatisation agenda'

The Congress on Monday accused the Modi government of "strangulating and emasculating" ISRO and slammed it for pursuing an "aggressive privatisation agenda" for the space programme.

Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said there have been news reports in the past couple of days on ISRO's future role in our country's space programme.

"This has raised legitimate concerns given its capacities, capabilities, and competencies built up so methodically and painstakingly over the past six decades thanks to the vision, dedication, and leadership of Vikram Sarabhai, Satish Dhawan, Brahm Prakash, UR Rao, APJ Abdul Kalam, and so many other distinguished scientists and technologists," Ramesh said on X.

Indian Space Research Organisation, or ISRO, was founded in 1969, with Sarabhai, instrumental in its conception, as its first chairman.

The Congress leader claimed that the Modi government has an "aggressive privatisation agenda" for the space programme just as it had for nuclear energy.

"The motivation is clearly coming from the PM (Narendra Modi) and his PMO itself. ISRO's presence in rocket development and manufacture is to be severely limited and much of its satellite-related assets are to be transferred lock, stock, and barrel to private companies," Ramesh said.

The Modi government will also be handing over to a private company the second spaceport coming up in Tamil Nadu for which it is investing something like Rs 1,000 crore, the Congress general secretary said.

"Given the winds of change, the future of the historic Sriharikota spaceport in Andhra Pradesh is itself anybody's guess," he said.

Ramesh said that ISRO has made India enormously proud, and the prime minister himself has basked in its glory on multiple occasions.

"Space startups certainly deserve encouragement and support. But why should ISRO, which has for long had productive partnerships with the private sector, now be strangulated and emasculated? Already, in the past few months 100-120 key ISRO professionals have quit, perhaps seeing the writing on the wall," Ramesh claimed.

In an apparent reference to G Madhavan Nair, he said that an ex-ISRO chairman, who had joined the BJP in October 2018 after being inspired by the prime minister, has also expressed serious doubts on the new privatisation drive.

"Why don't the five other living eminent Chairmen also speak out on this vital issue?" Ramesh said.

The Congress leader shared a video of his speech in the Rajya Sabha in September 2023 on India's space journey.

In his speech in the Upper House three years ago, Ramesh had accused the government of attempting to "airbrush" the milestones achieved in the space sector since the 1960s, and said the Indian space programme should be seen as an instrument of development and "not an instrument of muscular nationalism."

Lauding the Chandrayaan-3 mission, he said there is a need to remind the House of the people who have contributed so far to it, rather than becoming victim to the "new impression" that this entire accomplishment is the result of one individual.

Ramesh made the comments during a discussion on 'India's Glorious Space Journey Marked By Successful Soft Landing of Chandrayaan-3'. 

He said that the success of the moon mission is based on the competencies, capabilities and capacities created over 60 years.

"...We need to give our scientific and technological institutions full freedom. We need to give our scientific and technological institutions full independence and professionalism, and we need to free our scientific and technological institutions of any political patronage and political interference and intervention," the Congress leader then said.