Oppn slams Modi for taking credit for A-SAT test

Congress on Wednesday ridiculed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for taking credit for the anti-satellite missile test carried out successfully by India's defence scientists and also sounded a word of caution on its “global implications”.

“Well done DRDO, extremely proud of your work. I would also like to wish the PM a very happy World Theatre Day,” Congress President Rahul Gandhi said soon after Modi's dramatic announcement of the A-SAT test through a televised address to the nation.

“Hope more space shootings and Star Wars are not planned in next six weeks nor more State of Nation addresses. Neither fear, nor frustration nor desperation nor seeing of electoral writing on wall should lead to such events and such timing,” Congress spokesman Abhishek Manu Singhvi said.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav lauded India's defence scientists but hit out at Prime Minister Modi for diverting the attention from issues such as unemployment, rural crisis and women's security.

National Conference chief Omar Abdullah obliquely referred to Modi making a molehill out of a mountain.

“An A-SAT Test may be fine but Militarization of Outer space has deeper and long term global implications,” former union minister and Congress spokesman Manish Tewari said.

Tewari also questioned whether the A-SAT test signalled a reversal of India’s policy on Militarisation of Outer space, which was conveyed to the UN Disarmament Commission in April last year by the Modi government.

Yadav, a former Uttar Pradesh chief minister, claimed that Modi got himself an hour of free airtime on news television in the middle of the election campaign.

“Today Narendra Modi got himself an hour of free TV & divert nation's attention away from issues on ground – unemployment, rural crisis and women's security – by pointing at the sky,” Yadav said.

“Mountains and molehills spring to mind,” Abdullah, a former J&K chief minister, said.

Congress also pointed out that India had acquired the anti-satellite test capabilities during the UPA rule in 2012.

“The UPA government had initiated the ASAT program which has reached fruition today,” senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel said.