A fresh political slugfest erupted between Congress and the BJP after PM Modi named the touchdown point of Chandrayaan 3 on the moon as 'Shiv Shakti Point'.
The debate stemmed from Senior Congress leader Rashid Alvi's remarks saying the name is ridiculous as PM Narendra Modi has no right to name the lunar surface.
What did Congress say?
"The entire world will laugh. Who has given PM Modi the right to name a point on the moon. We have landed, it is very good. We are proud of it, no doubt in it. But we are not the owner of the moon or the point," Rashid Alvi said in a television interview where he was countered with 'Jawahar point'.
Advertisement
On the contrary, Jawahar Point, where Chandrayaan 1, the first Moon Mission, crash-landed on the moon in 2008, was named after India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru is the name
Defending Congress, Alvi said, "You can't compete Jawaharlal Nehru with anything. Whatever Isro is it is only because of Jawaharlal Nehru. In 1962, it was Vikram Sarabhai and Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru who founded Isro. So you can say that Pandit Nehru founded all this. That is absolutely different thing. But now Modiji is politicising the thing."
Retaliating to Rashid Alvi's statement, BJP's party's national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said Congress only revealing its 'anti-Hindu' self.
Advertisement
"This is the same party that questions the existence of Lord Ram, opposes Ram Temple and abuses Hindus. Both the names -- Shiv Shakti Point and Tiranga Point -- are attached to the country. Why does Rashid Alvi find this ridiculous? And then the leaders call themselves janeudhari. The Congress has family first principle. They will only praise Gandhi family, Jawaharlal Nehru. Vikram lander is named after Vikram Sarabhai," Poonawalla said.
"Had it been UPA, they would have never sent Chandrayaan 2 & 3 & if they did they would have named it Indira Point and Rajiv Point," the BJP leader said.
Jawahar Point
Jawahar Point is known as the the region near the Shackleton Crater on the moon where ISRO's Chandrayaan-1 'Moon Impact Probe' crash landed as designed to do so. It was named Jawahar Point as the date coincided with the date November 14, the birthday of Jawaharlal Nehru.
Tiranga Point
PM Modi while visiting ISRO for the first time since the successful soft landing of Chandrayaan-3, announced that the touchdown point of Chandrayaan 3 will be known as Shiv Shakti Point the touchdowwhile n point of Chandrayaan 2 will be known as Tiranga Point. The prime minister also declared August 23 as National Space Day.
