On one hand the country is celebrating the safe landing of ‘Chandrayaan 3’. On the other hand, a war of words has broken out between the Congress and the BJP over the name of its landing point. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has named the touch down point of Chandrayaan 3 as ‘Shiv Shakti Point’.
The Congress has taunted the BJP regarding this. Senior Congress leader Rashid Alvi has called this nomenclature ridiculous. BJP has retaliated on this. BJP’s national spokesperson Shahzad Poonawalla has said, ‘Then what do you have to say about ‘Jawahar Point’?’
Senior Congress leader Rashid Alvi said in a television interview on Saturday (August 26) that “Prime Minister Narendra Modi has no right to name the surface of the moon. This will make the whole world laugh. Who has given PM Modi the right to name a point on the moon? There was a safe landing on the moon, it is a good thing”.
He said that safe landing has happened, we have no doubt about it and it is a matter of pride for us, but we are not the owner of the moon or that place.
While retaliating on Rashid Alvi, BJP asked about ‘Jawahar Point’.
Let us tell here that ‘Jawahar Point’ is the place where Chandrayaan-1 i.e. the device called Moon Impactor Probe (MIP) of India’s first lunar mission in 2008 landed on the surface of the moon. As per the plan, the MIP was to crash land at a point near the Moon’s south pole, which was named ‘Jawahar Sthal’ or Jawahar Point.
During the interview, when senior Congress leader Rashid Alvi was asked whether the touch down point of Chandrayaan-3 was named after Narendra Modi and Atal Bihari? His answer to this was that you cannot compete with Jawaharlal Nehru in anything. Whatever ISRO is today is because of Jawaharlal Nehru. ISRO was founded in 1962 by Vikram Sarabhai and Jawaharlal Nehru. That’s why you can say that it was Pandit Nehru who established it. That’s why it’s a completely different thing. Modi ji is now politicizing it.
The BJP has given a befitting reply to Rashid Alvi’s statement. BJP’s national spokesperson Shahzad Poonawalla hit back and said that “Congress is only revealing its anti-Hindu character. This is the same party which questions the existence of Lord Ram. Opposes Ram Mandir and abuses Hindus. Both the names ‘Shiv Shakti Point’ and ‘Tiranga Point’ are associated with the country”.
He said why Rashid Alvi finds it funny. After this their leaders call themselves Janeudhari. He would only praise the Gandhi family and Jawaharlal Nehru.
Poonawalla also mentioned that the Vikram lander was named after Vikram Sarabhai. Poonawalla further said, “If there was a UPA government, Chandrayaan-2 and Chandrayaan-3 would hardly have been sent. Had it been sent, the names of the touch points would have been ‘Indira Point’ and ‘Rajiv Point.’
Jawahar Point’ is known by the name of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. This is the area near the Shackleton Crater of the Moon. This is the place where ISRO’s Moon Impact Probe crashed. It was designed as such. It was just a coincidence that 14 November was Jawaharlal Nehru’s birthday that day. That’s why the place was named Jawahar Point.
Meanwhile Prime Minister Narenda Modi returning from his foreign tour, he went straight to Bangalore. There he met the entire team of Chandrayaan-3 and ISRO chief S. Somnath and congratulated them for their success.
After this he made three announcements. first where Chandrayan 3 had touched the moon’s land, named it ‘Shiv Shakti Point’.
Secondly, the place where Chandrayaan-2 touched down was named ‘Tricolor Point’. Thirdly, August 23 will be celebrated as National Space Day.
