Kiren Rijiju counters TMC MP, affirms regular pension for ISRO scientists, not just salary

The Congress party had earlier slammed the BJP government for taking the credit for the success of the Chandrayaan-3 mission.

New Delhi: Union Minister Kiren Rijiju said that ISRO scientists have themselves clarified that they are not only getting their salary regulary but also their pension on time.

“All ISRO scientists have repeatedly said that they even get pension regularly, let alone salary,” Rijiju said speaking to ANI on Wednesday.

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The Union Minister criticised the Congress and the TMC for “misleading” the House saying that ISRO scientists are not getting their salaries.

“The support given by PM Modi to ISRO scientists to achieve this (Chandrayaan-3) is unparalleled. The other day, a Congress leader said this and today a TMC leader said that ISRO scientists are not getting their salaries. How can you even think that?” Rijiju said.

Kiren Rijiju also took on the Congress and TMC for “misleading” the Parliament.

“Lying and misleading in the Parliament is not correct. There should be a limit to lying in Parliament. They are misleading the country…It is absolutely unfortunate and very sad that the Congress party and TMC continue to spread lies especially about ISRO,” he added.

The Congress party had earlier slammed the BJP government for taking the credit for the success of the Chandrayaan-3 mission.

Earlier in the day, TMC MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar alleged that women scientists at ISRO were not getting their salaries on time.

Rajya Sabha member Jairam Ramesh said India’s space programme since its inception in the 1960s has been about continuity irrespective of the fact who was in power and hit back at the Centre in what he said it did not give due credit to the past governments.

“The glorious space journey that the Leader of the House wants us to believe started in 2014, but the first milestone was on twenty second February of 1962…The second milestone was on the fifteenth of August 1969 with the creation of ISRO…The third milestone was in July 1972 when Satish Dhawan became the chairman of ISRO,” the Congress MP said during the discussion on India’s glorious space programme and successful soft landing of Chandrayaan-3.