Congress slams govt for arrested DRDO scientist's links with RSS

New Delhi: The Congress on Wednesday slammed the government over the alleged links of DRDO director P. M. Kurulkar with the RSS, arrested in an espionage case, and questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi on how it happened under his nose.

Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters here, Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera released a video of Kurulkar speaking at a RSS event and also his interview where he accepted his ties with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). He had also attended a programme with RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat.

Khera said, "Kurulkar, a director of DRDO, who was arrested on espionage charge by the Maharashtra ATS has association with the RSS for four generations. Maharashtra ATS arrested P.M. Kurulkar for providing secret information to Pakistan through a woman. It is being said that he was honey trapped."

Highlighting his association with the RSS, the Congress leader said, "He (Kurulkar) used to play saxophone in RSS shakha for 14 years. Even his father was associated with the RSS."

Khera also reminded the BJP of Dhruv Saxena and RSS pracharak Yashwant Shinde's connections with Pakistan's ISI and other organisations. Targeting the BJP, Khera said, "A man in DRDO was giving information to Pakistan. Since October 2022 he was giving information. In February his laptop was submitted with the ATS. And he was arrested about a week ago on espionage charges."

Hitting out at the Prime Minister, Khera said, "DRDO works under the Prime Minister. This happened under the nose of PM Modi from a man (Kurulkar), who has been associated with the RSS.

Taking a pot shot at the RSS for denying that Kurulkar was associated with it, he said, "How can RSS deny the fact that Kurulkar was associated with them. He himself said that he played the saxophone for 14 years with them and also shared the stage with Mohan Bhagwat."

"We want to ask from the Prime Minister, how secret information of India was being shared with Pakistan. How is this happening under him," he added.

The Maharashtra anti-terrorism squad last Thursday arrested the highly decorated senior scientist of the Defence Research and Development Organisation, Kurulkar, for allegedly sharing sensitive defence related information with agents of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). On Tuesday, Kurulkar was produced before the additional sessions judge (Special Court) in Pune and remanded to further custody until May 15.