Anitha Radhakrishnan, a minister for Tamil Nadu and leader of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), acknowledged that the MK Stalin government had committed “a small mistake” the day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi had chastised them over a picture of a Chinese rocket in an advertisement for a new ISRO facility.
Radhakrishnan claims that officials were unaware of a mistake in the advertisement’s design. He informed ANI on Thursday that there was a slight error in the newspaper ad we provided on the construction of a rocket launch pad in the Kulasekarapatnam area.
He said, “Those who designed the advertisement made a mistake that we were unaware of, which was the image of the Chinese flag in the advertisement welcoming Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”
PM Modi attacked the Tamil Nadu administration
At a rally in Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu, on Wednesday, Prime Minister Modi said that the DMK government had placed China’s label to claim “false credit” for ISRO’s facility in the state.
“DMK is a party that puts in no effort but advances to claim unjustified credit. These folks affix their stickers to our designs. Now that they’ve gone too far, they’ve added China’s label to claim ownership of the ISRO launch pad in Tamil Nadu,” he had previously stated.
He said that the MK Stalin-led government had denigrated India’s space industry and scientists with the advertisement.
“They are unwilling to acknowledge India’s advancements in space exploration, and with the taxes you pay, they provide commercials without even featuring an image of India’s space programme. They insulted our scientists, our space industry, and your tax dollars, and they did not want to showcase India’s space success to the world. It’s about time the DMK was held accountable for their actions,” he declared.
The BJP claimed the advertisement demonstrated the DMK’s propensity for China.
The Tamil Nadu According to BJP President K. Annamalai, the advertising demonstrated the DMK’s dedication to China.
“DMK Minister Anita Radhakrishnan’s advertising, which was sent out to prominent Tamil dailies today, is a clear example of the party’s allegiance to China and complete disrespect for the sovereignty of our nation. Since the news of ISRO’s second launch pad in Kulasekarapatinam was made public, the DMK, a party that is fiercely opposed to corruption, has been frantic to put stickers on everything,” he wrote on X on Wednesday.
The counteroffensive of DMK
DMK MP Kanimozhi responded to Modi’s criticism by stating on Wednesday that India had not designated China as a hostile nation. She cited PM Modi’s invitation to Chinese leader Xi Jinping to visit India.
“I don’t believe China is now an enemy of India. I’ve noticed that the prime minister invited the Chinese leader, and they went to Mahabalipuram. You are looking for ways to deflect the conversation just because you cannot face reality,” she remarked.
