Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that India shot down a live satellite on Wednesday joining US, Russia and China in an elite list of space superpowers. Minutes later, Congress president took to Twitter to congratulate the scientists of the Defence Research and Development Organization and wished the PM “happy World Theatre Day.”

“Well done DRDO, extremely proud of your work. I would also like to wish the PM a very happy World Theatre Day,” Rahul Gandhi tweeted.

PM Modi said the action was not directed against any country and the satellite was a pre-determined target orbiting at an altitude of 300 km. “In the journey of every nation there are moments that bring utmost pride and have a historic impact on generations to come. One such moment is today,” Modi said in an address to the nation.

Union minister Nitin Gadkari hailed the scientists involved in the project and said India was moving fast towards becoming a world leader under PM Modi’s leadership.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav targeted PM Modi after the announcement and accused the PM of trying to divert attention from other issues. “Today @narendramodi got himself an hour of free TV & divert nation’s attention away from issues on ground — #Unemployment #RuralCrisis & #WomensSecurity — by pointing at the sky. Congratulations @drdo_india & @isro — this success belongs to you. Thank you for making India safer,” Akhilesh Yadav tweeted.

Bahujan Samaj party chief Mayawati also took to Twitter to praise the scientists but she did slip in a dig at the Prime Minister. “The PM trying to do politica under the guise of the announcement is very condemnable. The Election Commission must take cognizance,” she said.

Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said it was a historic day and the scientists and Prime Minister Modi deserve full praise.

Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and National Conference leader targeted the government and said that “mountains and molehills spring to mind!” after the announcement.

First Published: Mar 27, 2019 14:01 IST