News Tamil Nadu

DMK’s Full Page Ad Of PM Modi Inaugurating Upcoming Spaceport At Kulasekarapattinam Shows Chinese Rockets, No Indian Rocket/Flag Found

February 28, 2024
The Commune

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is in Tamil Nadu inaugurating and laying the foundation stone for various projects in the region, amounting to a total investment of over ₹17,000 crore.

Among the initiatives, PM Modi is laying the foundation stone for the upcoming ISRO launch complex at Kulasekarapattinam, Thoothukudi district, valued at approximately ₹986 crore. This state-of-the-art facility is designed to support 24 launches annually and encompasses 35 facilities. Notably, it incorporates a mobile launch structure (MLS) equipped with checkout computers, signifying a substantial advancement in space exploration capabilities.

How The DMK Goofed This Up

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in Tamil Nadu posted full-page advertisements in Tamil newspapers intimating readers of PM Modi’s arrival in the state to inaugurate the facility. However, the advertisement shows multiple foreign rockets including Chinese rockets, and not a single Indian rocket or a flag anywhere in the advertisement. 

The text in the advertisement glorifies Thoothukudi district DMK MP Kanimozhi (sister of MK Stalin) for having “voiced this out in the Parliament and continued to insist for the completion of the project.”

Netizens criticised the advert and questioned the “loyalties” of the DMK government while also ridiculing the idea of the imagery.

WION reporter Sidharth pointed out that in reality, the newly inaugurated spaceport was specifically intended for launching smaller-class rockets, including ISRO’s SSLV and those developed by Indian startups. Contrary to the depictions in the advertisement, which showcase mega-size heavy-lift rockets, Sidharth wrote that the facility was tailored for the safety and optimal performance of smaller-scale launches. Launching large rockets from Kulasekarapattinam would pose a safety hazard.

It is noteworthy that in the late 1960s, a DMK minister, Mathiyazhagan, reportedly behaved inappropriately towards Dr. Vikram Sarabhai, the visionary founder of the Indian space programme, when he approached for land to establish a spaceport in TamilNadu. Andhra Pradesh extended a warm welcome to Sarabhai, offering a vast expanse of 44,000 acres at Sriharikota. 

Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party president K Annamalai called out the DMK’s commitment to China and disregard for India’s sovereignty. He wrote on his X handle, “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 since the announcement of ISRO’s second launch pad in Kulasekarapatinam was released. The amount of desperation only proves their attempt to bury their past misdeeds, but we must remind them that DMK was why the Satish Dhawan Space Centre is today in Andhra Pradesh & not Tamil Nadu. When the 1st launch pad of ISRO was conceptualised, TN was the first choice of ISRO. TN CM Thiru Annadurai, who could not attend the meeting because of severe shoulder pain, deputed Mathiyazhagan, one of his ministers, for the meeting. ISRO officials were kept waiting for a long, and Mathiyazhagan was finally brought to the meeting in an “inebriated state” & was incoherent throughout the meeting. And, this was the treatment our country’s space programme received 60 years ago. DMK hasn’t changed much & has only become worse!”

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