Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President DK Shivakumar has demanded that, Prime Minister Narendra Modi drops the plan of shifting Gaganyana – an ambitious project of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) from Bengaluru to Gujarat
Upset with the reported decision of the Union Government to shift the ISRO’s ambitious manned spaceship project (Gaganayana) from Bengaluru to Gujarat, KPCC President, D. K. Shivakumar has written a letter to Prime Minister, Narendra Modi and Chief Minister of Karnataka, Basavaraj Bommai urging them to drop the plan.
In the letter addressed to the PM, he states that the ISRO project is the pride of every Kannadiga. Stating that it is his responsibility to raise his voice for the project, he said that the headquarter of ISRO has been operating in Bengaluru for decades. “ It is the real pride of every Kannadiga that ISRO is operating in the field of space science from Bengaluru. As you (PM) are aware, ISRO has been preparing all required technology for the Gaganayana project since 2007. The premier agency has made plans to launch the manned spaceship (GSLV) in 2023 itself. If the project is successful, India will be the fourth country in the world after the US, China, and the Soviet Union in launching such an ambitious project”, he has stated.
Asserting that Kannadigas are very sensitive people, they are hosting such prestigious events with enormous pride. Even with the Gaganayana project, Kannadigas have a strong emotional attachment. It is disheartening to hear that efforts are being made to shift the project to Gujarat.
If the project gets shifted, then it will send a clear message that the Government of India does not believe in the federal system, and thus it is neglecting the interests of the State of Karnataka. It will be a betrayal to the prestige of Kannadigas. It will have an adverse impact on the federal system of the country.
ಇಸ್ರೋ ಸಂಸ್ಥೆಯ ಪ್ರತಿಷ್ಠಿತ ಮಾನವಸಹಿತ ಬಾಹ್ಯಾಕಾಶ ಯಾನ ಕಾರ್ಯಕ್ರಮವನ್ನು ಗುಜರಾತ್ಗೆ ಸ್ಥಳಾಂತರಿಸುವ ನಿರ್ಧಾರ ಖಂಡಿಸಿ ಇಂದು ಯುವ ಕಾಂಗ್ರೆಸ್ ಕಾರ್ಯಕರ್ತರೊಂದಿಗೆ ಬೆಂಗಳೂರಿನ ವಿಜ್ಞಾನಪುರದಲ್ಲಿರುವ ಐಐಎಸ್ಸಿ ಎದುರು ಪ್ರತಿಭಟನೆ ನಡೆಸಲಾಯಿತು. ನಮ್ಮ ಬೇಡಿಕೆ ಈಡೇರದಿದ್ದರೆ ಈ ಹೋರಾಟವನ್ನು ತೀವ್ರಗೊಳಿಸುವ ಎಚ್ಚರಿಕೆ ನೀಡಿದೆವು.
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— DK Shivakumar (@DKShivakumar) December 1, 2021
“ If the people of a State start believing that they are being discriminated against continuously, then it will have serious consequences in future. Therefore, your office should immediately intervene in the matter and drop all the plans of shifting the project from Bengaluru to Gujarat”, he demanded.
In a similar letter written to Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, Shivakumar has said that people are pinning great hopes on this prestigious and ambitious project. Every Kannadiga feels emotionally associated with the project. But the reports of efforts being made to shift the project to Gujarat, have shocked Kannadigas from across the state.
Accusing the Union BJP Government of continuously neglecting Karnataka, he stated that the Central government is meting out a step-motherly treatment with Kannadigas. It will have an adverse impact on the federal system of India, he has noted. Attaching a copy of the letter he has written to the Prime Minister, he said that he has already written a letter to the Prime Minister demanding him to drop the plan of shifting the project to Gujarat.
Shivakumar has also urged the CM Bsavaraj Bommai to bring this crucial matter to the notice of the PM by taking a delegation to New Delhi in order to exert pressure on the Prime Minister to drop the proposed plan.
“ Please uphold the pride and dignity of Kannadigas by ensuring that Karnataka retains the project”, he said.
In this regard, the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) and its students’ wing National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) staged a protest demonstration right opposite the IISc Campus at Vignanpura, Bengaluru on 1st December 2021. They also argued that ISRO is the pride of every person in the country and must not be privatized at any cost.
