Opposition leaders across the political spectrum congratulated the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) after Chandrayaan-3’s lander, Vikram, made a soft landing on the south pole of the Moon on Wednesday, with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge calling it “a collective success of every Indian and a testament to the vision of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.
Mr. Kharge said an elated nation with 140 crore aspirations witnessed yet another achievement in its six-decade-long space programme. “We are deeply indebted to the remarkable hard work, unparalleled ingenuity and unflinching dedication of our scientists, space engineers, researchers and everyone involved in making this mission a triumph for India,” he said.
The Congress chief said that the immaculate soft-landing is a fitting tribute to Homi J. Bhabha, Vikram Sarabhai, Satish Dhawan, Meghnad Saha, Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and many other legendary scientists who paved the way for India’s unmatchable progress in the field of space.
ISRO employees watch the successful soft landing of Chandrayaan-3 on the surface of the moon at ISRO’s Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network facility, in Bengaluru, Wednesday, Aug 23, 2023. | Photo Credit: PTI
“These accomplishments are a testament to the vision of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru who emphasised and sincerely believed that a critical commitment to science could drive the spirit of development of our newly independent nation by igniting the spirit and minds of the people, which was later followed by successive Prime Ministers,” Mr. Kharge said in a video message.
West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress president Mamata Banerjee said that India is now in the super league of space. On social media platform X, she praised the scientists for the technological progress made.
Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh, in their congratulatory messages, underscored the point that space research has been a “saga of continuity” since it started in 1962.
“Chandrayaan-3’s soft landing on the uncharted lunar South Pole is the result of decades of tremendous ingenuity and hard work by our scientific community. Since 1962, India’s space program has continued to scale new heights and inspire generations of young dreamers,” Mr. Gandhi said in a post on X.
In a video message, Mr. Ramesh said, “ISRO’s accomplishments have always been anchored in self-reliance. They reflect phenomenal teamwork, partnerships and enterprise. The entire world is looking up to ISRO today, acknowledging its achievements, and for us Indians, it is a matter of special pride.”
CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury credited “six decades of commitment, hard work and dedication” for the successful landing. He called the event a tribute to “scientific temper, reason and rationality.” Communist Party of India general secretary D. Raja said that the best investment for the country is in education and scientific temper.
While congratulating the scientific community, RJD leader and Bihar’s Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav posted on X, “ISRO which is dedicated for space programmes since 1962 has created history today.”
