The Congress on Thursday took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying the ‘non-biological Pradhan Mantri’ should go to violence-hit Manipur before going into the space. This comes after Indian Space and Research Organisation (ISRO) chief S Somnath recently suggested that PM Modi could be a candidate for India's first manned space mission.
"Before He goes into space, the non-biological Pradhan Mantri should go to Manipur,” Ramesh wrote on X (formally Twitter).
A media report quoted Somnath as saying that the Prime Minister can be the candidate for 'Gaganyan', which is slated to be launched in 2025.
"While he (PM Modi) certainly has many other, more critical responsibilities, developing a human spaceflight program is a capability we would like to cultivate and contribute to the Gaganyaan space program, particularly the astronaut training program for the International Space Station (ISS)," the report quoted Somnath as saying.
"All of us will be very, very proud if we have the ability to confidently send the head of state to space,” he added.
The Gaganyaan project is a major Indian mission that envisages a demonstration of human spaceflight capability by launching a crew of three members into an orbit of 400 km for a 3-day mission and bringing them safely back to earth by landing in Indian waters.
Meanwhile, the central government is facing heat from the opposition MPs of the INDIA bloc over the ethnic violence in the northeastern state of Manipur, which started in May 2023.
PM Modi, while addressing the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, affirmed that the central government is making efforts to normalise the situation in Manipur.
The northeastern state has been witnessing ethnic violence since May 3 last year following clashes during a rally organised by the All Tribals Students Union (ATSU) to protest against the demand for the inclusion of the Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribe category.