New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has criticised Tamil Nadu’s ruling DMK Wednesday for “belittling” India’s achievements — particularly its space programme — and called its leaders blind.
Modi’s attack was in response to an advertisement taken out by the state’s fisheries minister, Anitha Radhakrishnan, in Tamil newspapers, welcoming him to lay the foundation stone of the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) Kulasekarapattinam spaceport, which will be the country’s second after Sriharikota.
The ad featured Modi, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin and other DMK leaders, and had a rocket as backdrop. The shuttle appeared to have the Chinese flag painted on it.
Modi said the DMK government had always taken “false credit”, “pasting” their posters on central schemes. “But they have crossed all limits this time,” he said, adding, “They have put a sticker of China to take away credit from ISRO. DMK leaders don’t see anything these days. They can’t see India’s progress. Its space achievements. They have published an advertisement with your tax money. But they could not put India’s flag on it.”
DMK’s advertisement today is hilarious. They have insulted Indian science and the Indian space sector, for which they must apologise. pic.twitter.com/RwghHNji7q
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 28, 2024
The prime minister accused the DMK of never wanting to boast of India’s space success to the world. He said the advertisement had now “insulted India’s scientists, its space shuttle and the tax money of the people of Tamil Nadu”. “It is time to punish those who keep their eyes shut, or those who want to see partially,” he told a rally in Tirunelveli.
State BJP President K. Annamalai said the advertisement was “a manifestation of DMK’s commitment to China & their total disregard for our country’s sovereignty”.
He posted on X that Tamil Nadu’s ruling party, which is a key member of the Opposition bloc India, was “had been desperate to paste stickers ever since the announcement of ISRO’s second launch pad in Kulasekarapattinam”.
He also said the party was the reason behind ISRO’s first port being in Andhra Pradesh and not Tamil Nadu, detailing that a minister deputed to talk to ISRO officers by then DMK chief minister C.N. Annadurai had turned up drunk.
This advertisement by DMK Minister Thiru Anita Radhakrishnan to leading Tamil dailies today is a manifestation of DMK’s commitment to China & their total disregard for our country’s sovereignty.
DMK, a party flighing high on corruption, has been desperate to paste stickers ever… pic.twitter.com/g6CeTzd9TZ
— K.Annamalai (@annamalai_k) February 28, 2024
At Tirunelveli, Modi also brought the charge of nepotism and dynastic politics against DMK leaders. “Its previous leader tried his whole life to make his son the chief minister. The present CM is trying to make his son the next chief minister. All DMK leaders are trying to set their children up, and upset your future. But Modi gives you a guarantee for your children’s future,” he said, urging the people to vote for the BJP in the upcoming general elections.
Reacting to the controversy, DMK MP Kanimozhi said that the image was chosen by the person who did the artwork (advertisement) and added that India has not declared China as an enemy country. Speaking to reporters in Chennai, Kanimozhi said, “I have seen the Chinese Prime Minister coming here and our Prime Minister is receiving him directly and they both go on a walk in Mahabalipuram. In such a scenario, no one has said till now that they have announced them (China) as our enemy.”
In 2019, the DMK had 38 state’s 39 Lok Sabha constituencies in a landslide.
The Prime Minister also inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of infrastructure projects worth over Rs 17,000 crore Wednesday.
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