Prime Minister Narendra Modi goes to Rahul Gandhi’s constituency to inaugurate a project. Gandhi calls him out for “speaking lies”. Then, Union Minister Smriti Irani, who had fought against Gandhi from his Lok Sabha constituency Amethi, also alleges that the Congress president is “lying”.
At the centre of this controversy is an ordnance factory in Korwa, a nondescript town in Uttar Pradesh’s Amethi district.
It all began when PM Modi, during a visit to Amethi, launched the Indo-Russian Rifle Pvt Limited, a joint venture between the two countries, at a factory in Korwa. The factory will now manufacture AK 203 rifles.
After the PM’s address, Gandhi took to Twitter and said that he had already laid the foundation stone for the factory in 2010 and that it has been manufacturing small weapons for the last few years. He also accused the prime minister of lying.
Korwa Factory Was Functional Since 2013
Speaking to The Quint, Shrish Chandra, Work Manager (Administration) at the Korwa factory, confirmed that small weapons and other components are being produced there. “Since 2013, we started producing pump action guns and components for tanks, guns and bomb shells for other ordnance factories,” Chandra said.
In response to a question in the Lok Sabha in March 2018, Minister of State for Defence Dr Subhash Bhamre had given the details of ordnance factories in the country.
The minister’s reply included production and turnover figures of the Korwa factory since financial year 2015-16, proving that the factory had started production earlier.
What Was Amiss With Rahul Gandhi’s Version?
Following Rahul Gandhi’s attack on the prime minister, Irani – who had contested the 2014 Lok Sabha elections against Gandhi from Amethi – tweeted pictures, which she said were from the foundation-laying ceremony of the factory.
She highlighted parts of the pictures, which show that the foundation stone was laid in 2007, and not 2010, as Gandhi had claimed.
Chandra confirmed Smriti’s claim.
“Rahul Gandhi had laid the foundation stone for the factory in December 2007. The factory was set up with the aim of manufacturing 45,000 carbines every year for the forces,” Chandra told The Quint.
Chandra’s version is consistent with a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report on Union government (Defence Services) Army and Ordnance Factories of 2011. The report said the factory was expected to produce 45,000 carbines every year at an estimated cost of Rs 408.01 crore, and the time schedule for completion of the project was 36 months from the date of issue of sanction in October 2007.
The report also termed the sanction of the ordnance factory project in Korwa as “injudicious.” It said that the sanction was made without “finalisation of new generation carbines,” further predicting that the project will be “delayed very badly” due to “selection of inappropriate site and inadequate monitoring” and “slow progress.”
So Who Was Correct?
Gandhi’s attack against Modi was based on the fact that the factory was already up-and-running before the PM had launched the new project. The Congress president’s assertion is correct. On the other hand, Irani’s offensive on Gandhi deals with the fact that the foundation stone was laid on an earlier date than what was claimed.
In effect, the factory’s production does not get affected irrespective of whether the foundation stone was laid in 2007 or 2010. This is, perhaps, the qualitative difference between the two accusations.
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