The Tamil Nadu Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government has stirred up a fresh controversy with an advertisement welcoming Prime Minister Modi to lay the foundation stone for the Kulasekaranpattinam Spaceport. State Fisheries Minister Anitha Radhakrishnan published the ad in local Tamil newspapers, displaying a picture of PM Modi, Chief Minister Stalin, and DMK ministers, with a rocket in the background. However, the inclusion of a rocket bearing a Chinese flag in the image has sparked outrage and led to severe backlash, including from PM Modi and state BJP chief K Annamalai.
During a rally in Tamil Nadu's Tirunelveli, PM Modi condemned the DMK government, accusing them of taking undue credit and placing stickers of China to claim recognition for the ISRO launch pad. He emphasized the insult to India's space sector and taxpayers' money, stating, "DMK is such a party that doesn't do any work but goes ahead to take false credit. Who doesn't know that these people put their stickers on our schemes? Now they have crossed the limit; they have pasted stickers of China to take credit for the ISRO launch pad in Tamil Nadu."
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PM Modi further expressed dismay at the DMK's reluctance to acknowledge India's progress in the space sector, criticizing their failure to showcase India's space success in their advertisements. "They are not ready to see the progress of India's space, and with the taxes that you pay, they give advertisements and do not even include a picture of India's space in it. They did not want to share India's space success in front of the world; they insulted our scientists, our space sector, your tax money... Now the time has come to punish the DMK," he added.
PM Modi highlighted that the DMK's actions undermine India's achievements in space and reflect their lack of respect for the nation's progress. He called for accountability, stating that it is time to hold the DMK responsible for their actions.