Mysuru: Even as Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu is said to have appealed the Centre to shift the public sector HAL (Hindustan Aeronautics Limited) to AP from Karnataka, Mysuru-Kodagu MP Yaduveer Wadiyar said that the pride of Karnataka HAL was established by Kannadigas and that late Prime Minister Nehru had nothing to do with it.

In a press statement, Yaduveer said that many States including Andhra Pradesh have appealed the Centre to establish HAL in their State. But crores of Kannadigas will not allow HAL to be moved out of the State for any reason, he said adding that all efforts will be made to ensure that HAL remained in Karnataka.

Urging the State Congress Government to apprise the Centre on the infrastructure and other facilities available in Karnataka, he said that even the MPs will apprise the Centre on this matter.

Asserting that HAL was established by and for Kannadigas, he stressed on the need for taking forward this giant Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) with continued activities and research.

Taking strong exception to Deputy CM D.K. Shivakumar’s remarks that HAL was established by Nehru, Yaduveer said it was  the then Inter-continental Corporation President William D. Pawley  and Walchand Group who had  first mooted the establishment of Hindustan Aircraft Limited way back in 1940. Responding to this, the erstwhile Mysore Maharajas sanctioned 700 acres of land at Bengaluru and also invested in the company.

Pointing out that the company played a key role in the II World War, the MP said, post-independence, the company was renamed as Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and brought under the Ministry of Defence in 1964. HAL’s contribution to defence forces will always be remembered by the people and etched in history, he pointed out.

Rebukes Kamal Haasan’s statement

Rebuking  actor Kamal Haasan’s statement that Kannada was born out of Tamil, Yaduveer said that the actor’s comment is strongly condemnable. Stating that he should first understand Kannada’s history, the MP said that the Kannada script (lipi) is recorded for long.

“The actor must know that Kannada and Tamil, both being ancient languages,  have their own scripts and history,” he said adding that Kamal Haasan’s statement is ridiculous.

CM Naidu denies HAL shift claims

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu has denied claims he sought to relocate HAL from Karnataka to Andhra Pradesh. He said his request to the Centre was only to establish a new defence manufacturing hub in Andhra Pradesh.