Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation on Wednesday to announce that India has officially entered the elite space power club with the successful targeting of a live satellite with an anti-satellite weapon (A-SAT). India is the fourth nation in the world to achieve the feat after United States, Russia and China.
The operation dubbed as Mission Shakti, successfully took down a low-earth orbit (LEO) satellite at the height of 300 km within just 3 minutes. With this power India can take down enemy satellites.
Modi in his address said, “Mission Shakti operation was a difficult target to achieve which was completed successfully within three minutes of launch today… This mission of India does not violate any international norms or laws of security. This weapon aims to embolden India’s national security and is only a step in ensuring peace.”
He reiterated that this technology, was not aimed at any country and is only a measure to ensure security.
The Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a minute to congratulate all DRDO scientists and all other agencies who helped India achieve this major feat.
The address triggered a political storm.
Soon after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the success of India’s “Mission Shakti”, Congress President Rahul Gandhi congratulated the defence research body and wished PM “happy World Theatre Day”.
Here are a few more reactions from Akhilesh Yadav and Mamata Banerjee –
Today @narendramodi got himself an hour of free TV & divert nation's attention away from issues on ground — #Unemployment #RuralCrisis & #WomensSecurity — by pointing at the sky.
Congratulations @drdo_india & @isro — this success belongs to you. Thank you for making India safer.
— Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) March 27, 2019
There is no great urgency in conducting and announcing the mission now by a government past its expiry date. It seems a desperate oxygen to save the imminent sinking of the BJP boat. We are lodging a complaint with the Election Commission. 4/4
— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) March 27, 2019
(The Pigeon Express Opinion – First they used the army, then airforce and now elite agencies like the ISRO and DRDO are played around with. The regime needs to understand that these agencies don’t come out with such innovation overnight, it takes time and dedication, perhaps several governments. It would have been more appropriate for the DRDO chief to break the news first, and then the Prime Minister congratulating.)