2 days ago
Opposition stalls felicitation of astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla over electoral roll row
A felicitation event for astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla after his successful return from the International Space Station (ISS) turned into a deadlock in Parliament for the second consecutive day on Tuesday, after the Opposition repeatedly disrupted proceedings over alleged electoral irregularities and a demand to revoke the special intensive revision (SIR) of Bihar's electoral rolls. Prime Minister Narendra Modi with astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla in New Delhi on Monday. (PMO)
On Tuesday, Union parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju renewed his appeal to Opposition parties to let the discussion proceed. 'I again appeal to opposition parties to allow Parliament to felicitate Capt Subhanshu Shukla and entire Indian Scientists for India's remarkable and successful space mission. All our heroes deserve appreciation,' Rijiju wrote on X.
The Opposition, however, accused the government of using national achievements to deflect from pressing debates. Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Sushmita Dev retorted by saying, 'Dodge, dodge, dodge behind the armed forces, behind scientists, behind astronauts, behind Tiranga, behind ECI. We don't need the BJP to validate our armed forces, our scientists or our achievers or our flag. Sorry Kiren Rijiju ji, these stunts are not good to avoid debates that will leave the government embarrassed.'
The three-hour debate, which began on Monday, opened with Union minister of state for science and technology Jitendra Singh hailing Shukla's mission as a milestone for India's space programme and its grassroots applications. Taking aim at the Opposition for stalling the discussion, Singh said, 'You seem to be miffed by land, sky and now by space. Today, what the Opposition is doing is their expression of anger towards themselves for their failure in every plan.'
On the second day, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey carried the discussion forward, directly targeting the Congress. He accused the party of holding the House 'hostage' and of having 'dismantled' India's space sector in the past.
Dubey revisited the 1994 espionage case against ISRO scientist Nambi Narayanan, alleging the Congress had acted 'at the behest of China, Pakistan and American businessman George Soros'. Narayanan was later exonerated of all charges. He also pointed to the 2005 Antrix-Devas deal, flagged by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), under which ISRO's commercial arm Antrix agreed to lease two S-band spectrum satellites to private firm Devas Multimedia. The deal, annulled in 2011 over fraud and security concerns, became another centerpiece of his attack.
'The entire Congress had dismantled satellites, space missions and scientists during its tenure,' Dubey said, before being interrupted as Opposition protests escalated once again.
Amid the impasse, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor diverged from his party's line, urging participation in the debate. 'Since the Opposition are not participating in the special discussion, let me say how proud all Indians are of the recent mission of Commander Shubhanshu Shukla to the International Space Station (ISS). It served as a stepping stone to our nation's own human spaceflight program, Gaganyaan,' he wrote on X.
