# Congress accuses Modi govt of strangulating ISRO with privatisation 2026-08-24T08:08:48+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 3 independent outlets Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Monday accused the Modi government of pursuing an 'aggressive privatisation agenda' for the space programme, alleging it is 'strangulating and emasculating' ISRO. In a post on X, Ramesh said news reports over the past few days about ISRO's future role have raised legitimate concerns given the agency's six-decade legacy built by scientists like Vikram Sarabhai and APJ Abdul Kalam. Ramesh claimed that ISRO's presence in rocket development and manufacturing is to be 'severely limited' and much of its satellite-related assets will be transferred to private companies. He also alleged that the second spaceport in Tamil Nadu, for which the government is investing about Rs 1,000 crore, will be handed over to a private firm, and questioned the future of the Sriharikota spaceport in Andhra Pradesh. Ramesh said 100-120 key ISRO professionals have quit in recent months, perhaps 'seeing the writing on the wall.' The Congress leader noted that a former ISRO chairman who joined the BJP in 2018 has expressed doubts about the privatisation drive, and asked why five other living former chairmen have not spoken out. He compared the move to privatisation in the nuclear energy sector, and reiterated a call from a 2023 Rajya Sabha speech for scientific institutions to be given full freedom without political interference. ## Indian Opinion Analysis All three sources report the same Congress accusation without adding government rebuttal or independent verification, making the coverage uniform in its one-sidedness. The Deccan Chronicle and Times Now both quote Ramesh's claim that 100-120 ISRO professionals have quit, while Deccan Herald carries only the core allegation. No source has sought comment from the space ministry or ISRO. The careful reader should note that the story is entirely assertion from the opposition, and the key next step is whether the government issues a denial or confirms any policy shift. Watch for an official response from the Department of Space. ## Coverage Coverage: 3 sources, 3 neutral - deccanherald.com (neutral report) Reports Congress's accusations straight without any framing or commentary. - deccanchronicle.com (neutral report) Leads with the Congress charge but adds historical context on ISRO founding, still neutral. - timesnownews.com (neutral report) Presents Ramesh's allegations in full, including his X post quotes, no slant. This story was synthesised by AI from the 3 sources linked above. Updated: this story now draws on 3 sources. Last updated 2026-08-24T13:40:58+00:00. Tags: Chandrayaan-3, Congress, ISRO, Jairam Ramesh, Narendra Modi Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/congress-accuses-modi-govt-of-strangulating-isro/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/congress-accuses-modi-govt-of-strangulating-isro/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/