Nehru didn't give Bengaluru HAL, we did: Mysuru royal fact-checks DK Shivakumar

India Today

a day ago

While the dust seems to be settling on the rumour surrounding Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) being supposedly moved from Bengaluru to Andhra Pradesh, another one regarding its origins seems to be brewing.After Karnataka Ministers had strong reactions to the rumour, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu issued a reality check and clarified he did not intend to relocate the facility.advertisementNow, Mysuru scion and BJP MP Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar has stepped in with a fact-check of his own — this time aimed at Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, who had claimed that former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru 'gave us HAL'.
SHIVAKUMAR'S NEHRU CLAIM CHALLENGED
Wadiyar, through a series of posts on X, contested the Deputy Chief Minister's claim that HAL was established in Bengaluru by Nehru. Shivakumar had said, 'As our first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru ji gave us, it is a base.'The BJP MP, in a thread of tweets explained the history of HAL and its establishment. HAL was founded in 1940 by Indian industrialist and 'Father of Transportation in India' Walchand Hirachand, with support from American businessman and then president China National Aviation Corporation William D Pawley, and the Kingdom of Mysore.advertisement'Nehru had nothing to do with HAL,' Wadiyar stated, offering a detailed historical rebuttal, asserting that the first Prime Minister of independent India had no role in HAL's founding.
'William D Pawley, president of InterContinent Corporation, had earlier partnered with China's Nationalist government to start CAMCO, which assembled Hawk 75 and CW-21 fighter aircraft, in 1933.'Wadiyar went on to narrate how, in October 1939, Pawley met Hirachand on a Pan Am Clipper flight to Hong Kong. It was during this meeting that the idea of manufacturing aircraft in India was floated. Pawley visited India in July 1940 and obtained British approval for the project. Hirachand, however, failed to convince shareholders of The Scindia Steam Navigation Company to back the plan.The BJP leader then explained why Hirachand turned to the princely states when — Baroda, Gwalior, Bhavnagar and Mysore — when private support became elusive. According to Wadiyar, only his ancestor Jayachamaraja Wadiyar, the Maharaja of Mysore, stepped forward with support.He recounted how the Mysore government, in October 1940, under the Maharaja, granted 700 acres of land and invested Rs 25 lakh in shares to support the venture after Hirachand and Pawley arrived in Bengaluru.EARLY ESTABLISHMENT DETAILSadvertisementHindustan Aircraft Company was incorporated on December 23, 1940, under the Mysore Companies Act, with Hirachand as chairman. Its office was opened at Eventide on Domlur Road. Construction began on December 24, and by mid-January 1941, the first building and runway were ready.According to Wadiyar, the company's first order came from the British Government of India — 74 Vultee Attack Bombers, 30 Harlow PC5 Trainers, and 48 Curtis Hawk Fighters, all to be delivered by 1942. In April 1941, the British Indian Government injected an additional Rs 25 lakh into the company.As the Japanese threat intensified, CAMCO shifted its machinery to Mysore State.MYSORE STATE'S WARTIME ROLEWadiyar elaborated on the war years, noting that on August 29, 1941, the first Harlow Trainer was handed over to the Government of India.Following the Pearl Harbour attack and the loss of British naval strength in Malaya, fears of a Japanese invasion led the British to buy out Hirachand's shares in April 1942. The Mysore government, however, refused to sell its stake and only transferred control temporarily for the duration of the war.advertisementHe also pointed out that Hirachand made a profit of Rs 57 lakh from his Rs 25 lakh investment.
In 1943, the United States Army Air Forces took over the factory, renamed it the 84th Air Depot, and used it as a major hub for Allied aircraft repairs in India and Burma. By the end of the war, it was one of Asia's largest aircraft overhaul facilities.
'During World War II, the British Indian Government paid the Mysore State a solatium of Rs 12.11 lakh to sterilise its interest,' Wadiyar said. 'Mysore State became an active partner again in April 1946,' he added.On October 1,1964, the factory was restructured as Hindustan Aeronautics Limited under the Union Defence Ministry.CALL FOR RIGHTFUL RECOGNITIONTurning to the present, Wadiyar expressed disappointment over the lack of institutional memory and public acknowledgement.advertisement'Despite Mysore State's pivotal role, HAL and the Karnataka government barely acknowledge the Maharaja's contribution to its establishment. Its website features only Walchand's photo,' he noted.
He urged the government to refrain from rewriting history for political mileage: 'Instead of misrepresenting facts and glorifying the Nehru/Gandhi family — especially with false claims — the Karnataka government and the Deputy Chief Minister should focus on ensuring that HAL is strengthened and given the impetus it requires to become a leader in its sector.''Shivakumar should take pride in the fact that HAL was built by Karnataka's leaders and contributes to the progress of Bharat,' he concluded.
IN THIS STORY#Karnataka