Chinese rockets in Tamil Nadu govt advertisement sparks outrage

The Bharatiya Janata Party has come down hard on the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam government in Tamil Nadu for showcasing the Chinese rockets in its media publicity campaign about the announcement of ISRO’s second launch pad in Kulasekarapatinam. Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai took to social media platform X to criticize the DMK Minister Thiru Anita Radhakrishnan for an advertisement published in leading Tamil dailies, accusing the DMK of prioritizing China's interests over India's sovereignty.

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"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," wrote the BJP leader in his post on X.

Claiming that the DMK had announced its commitment to China, Annamalai condemned the DMK for what he perceives as a blatant disregard for the nation's integrity. He asserted that the DMK, known for its corruption, has resorted to desperate measures, including plastering stickers, following the announcement of ISRO's second launch pad in Kulasekarapatinam.

"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," he added.

Highlighting historical events, Annamalai recalled that DMK's actions had resulted in the relocation of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre from Tamil Nadu to Andhra Pradesh. He recounted an incident from 60 years ago when Tamil Nadu was initially chosen as the location for ISRO's first launch pad. However, due to the DMK's mismanagement, the ISRO officials were left waiting, and the representative sent by the TN CM, in an inebriated state, failed to contribute effectively to the meeting.

"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," he said.

He further added, "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," the BJP leader noted.

Annamalai concluded by stating that the DMK's behaviour hasn't changed over the years and has only deteriorated, indicating a lack of improvement in the party's governance practices.

"DMK hasn't changed much & has only become worse!" Annamalai remarked.

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