Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on the 27th of March, took to Twitter and addressed the Nation with an important message.
In his address to the Nation, Mr. Modi announced, India became the fourth nation in the world to become a space superpower. Modi explained this by stating, as a part of Mission Shakti, a low orbit satellite was shot down by India, using an anti satellite missile, in a short span of 3 minutes.
Modi further stated, this move helped India demonstrated its defence capabilities. With regard to this, he said, “This is a big moment for India. Something that all of us should be proud of. We are not just capable to defend on land, water and air, but now also in space. I congratulate all scientists who have made this possible and made India a much stronger nation.”
On the morning of the 27th of March, Mr. Modi tweeted, he would address the whole Nation between 11:45 A.M., and 12:00 P.M.
मेरे प्यारे देशवासियों,
आज सवेरे लगभग 11.45 – 12.00 बजे मैं एक महत्वपूर्ण संदेश लेकर आप के बीच आऊँगा।
I would be addressing the nation at around 11:45 AM – 12.00 noon with an important message.
Do watch the address on television, radio or social media.
— Chowkidar Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 27, 2019
The sudden address over the social media platform created a lot of buzz amongst the people.
Though the success of Mission Shakti comes as a huge achievement for India, the opposition may raise questions and criticise the move. The criticism is likely as social media campaigns were restricted by the Election Commission of India (ECI,) ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
Taking the possibility of being criticised into account, Modi clarified, the announcement is not a part of a campaign strategy. In light of this, he said,
“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.
India has successfully tested the Anti-Satellite (ASAT) Missile. Congratulations to everyone on the success of #MissionShakti.
There are possibilities, opposition parties might question the timing of the announcement, especially when the Lok Sabha elections are few days away.”
The Lok Sabha elections are scheduled to begin from the 11th of April and continue till the 19th of May.
The major parties contesting the Lok Sabha elections are the Indian National Congress (INC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP.)
The results of the Lok Sabha elections will be announced on the 23rd of May 2019.
Stay tuned for further updates about the Lok Sabha elections.
