Karnataka: Congress protests 'move' to shift Isro's Gaganyaan programme to Gujarat

Bengaluru: Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president D K Shivakumar, along with the party affiliated National Students' Union of India (NSUI), staged what the party called a symbolic protest in front of the Isro (Indian Space Research Organisation) office here on Wednesday. The protest, the Congress said, was against any move to shift the Indian Human Space Flight programme of the space agency from Bengaluru to Gujarat and called it a matter of State's pride.

"If we let this programme to shift, it is as good as selling the self-respect of the State. This institution is the future of students. It is a knowledge base centre of India. The documents show that there are attempts to privatise Isro stage by stage. The students of all colleges will protest if that happens. If at all they want to shift, let them shift it to Mangaluru or Karwar cities in Karnataka, they are also very much part of India," he asserted.

The students are being threatened with arrest for staging a protest against shifting of the project to Gujarat. "We don't fear arrest and police also. We are ready to do what is required for the wellbeing of Karnataka," he added.

Shivakumar recently shot off letters to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai opposing any such move amid some reports of such a plan being under consideration of the Central government.

NSUI members shouted slogans, held placards and posters which read "Stop Shifting ISRO to Gujarat '', "Stop Privatisation''.

Speaking to reporters, Shivakumar said Human Space Flight programme should not be shifted out of the State for any reason.

"It is a matter of Karnataka's pride; they (Central government) are planning to shift the Human Space Flight programme out of Bengaluru, it should not happen. Let them start any other new project or programme there in Gujarat, but it is not right to shift the programme that began and is running here," he said.

"It (the move to shift) is purely political to please the bosses from Gujarat. They first wanted to shift the air show out of Bengaluru, but withdrew only after Kannadigas protested...what is the scientific reason behind the plan to shift the programme from Bengaluru," he asked.

The agency has also planned the first flight on a home grown GSLV-in Rocket. If completed on schedule, India will become the fourth nation in the world to launch independent space-flight after the US, Soviet Union and China. It is a prestigious and epoch-making project. The people of Karnataka are very very proud of this project, he said.

Also alleging attempts to privatise important national agencies and assets, the KPCC chief said Isro should not be included in the list of organisations that have been sold to private hands after airlines, hotel and public sector companies, among others.

He urged the Central government to come clean on the issue.

Launched in 2007 by ISRO, the Indian Human Space Flight programme is aimed at development of technology needed to launch crewed orbital spacecraft into low earth orbit.