JAIPUR: Former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Monday accused the Narendra Modi government of weakening the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and seeking to transfer key functions of the country’s space sector to private companies.
Gehlot said India’s space programme was built on the vision of former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru and the leadership of Indira Gandhi, who, he claimed, backed scientists, provided necessary resources and helped establish institutions such as ISRO.
“Today, the Modi government is bent on quietly handing over that legacy to private hands,” he alleged.
His remarks came after nine employee associations of ISRO wrote to its chairperson V Narayanan on September 4, seeking clarity over a proposed move to transfer manufacturing and operational activities to private entities.
The Congress leader also alleged that the Modi government had failed to establish a new national institution during its 12 years in office and had instead weakened institutions created under previous Congress-led governments.
“Now it is the turn of a prestigious institution like ISRO, whose employees themselves have taken to the streets seeking answers from the government,” he claimed.
Gehlot alleged that the government’s approach towards ISRO amounted to more than an institutional change, describing it as an assault on India’s scientific capabilities and self-respect.
“The government which cannot build anything itself is engaged in selling national assets created during the Congress era,” he alleged.
ISRO, however, rejected suggestions that the organisation was being privatised or that its role was being reduced.
In a post on X on Sunday, the space agency said greater participation by private industry would allow ISRO to concentrate on the next generation of India’s space programme, while private players could scale up mature technologies and capabilities.