Mishaps in Navy due to neglect by Congress led UPA: BJP

BJP leader Prakash Javadekar said that party deeply mourns the death of a naval officer because of the malfunctioning and gas leakage on a new warship INS Kolkata while in the making. This is the 11th serious accident in last 11 months. This is the result of complete neglect of the Navy by the Congress led UPA government. The Defence Minister Mr. Antony must take the responsibility and resign forthwith.

He said that he Finance Minister Mr Chidambram has pointed out yesterday only that the MoD is not utilizing the funds "wisely". In the first place the Finance Ministry also does not provide the required funds for the Defence Forces. The navy has received a raw deal for past 10 years. The condition of many naval vessels is precarious. The marines are practically floating on live bombs. The government neither purchased a single diesel submarine in its tenure nor completed the Scorpene program on time. This has forced navy to use the outlived submarines. There is paucity of warships and delays have plugged in the process. The systems are old and many of them are outdated. The Aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya is not fitted with the required defence mechanism.

Javadekar said that the Air force is experiencing shortage of training aircrafts. Therefore majority of training schedules are carried out on simulators. Mirage upgradation is delayed and 5th generation combat aircraft acquisition is mired in controversies. The Army is suffering because of the non-availability of assault rifles, good guns and multi-axel vehicles.

This is the result of vested interest and commission under the patronage of Congress dominating each and every acquisition. Instead of ensuring a transparent procurement system the Defence Minister aborts the deal when the scam is in open. This reflects adversely on our defence preparedness and all the three Forces suffer.

The President as a Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces must initiate detailed investigation of this mess. The Prime Minister also owes an explanation on the accidents and our preparedness.