PM Modi Praises Hyderabad's Skyroot Aerospace, Swipes at Rahul Gandhi in Parliament

On Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised Hyderabad-based Skyroot Aerospace for successfully launching Vikram-1, India's first privately developed orbital rocket, while taking a political swipe at Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi during his address at the start of the Parliament's Monsoon Session.

Speaking ahead of the session, PM Modi highlighted that the average age of the team members at Skyroot Aerospace is just 28 years. He contrasted this young team with Gandhi, who turned 56 in June and is projected by the Congress party as a youth leader.

"India's youth have taken a new flight into space; it is a tremendous success. The average age of the entire team of young people working at Skyroot is 28 years," PM Modi said. He then added, "I am not talking about a 56-year-old 'youngster'."

The Hyderabad-based private space company scripted history over the weekend when its Vikram-1 rocket completed its final burn and injected its payloads into a nearly 450-kilometre orbit under Mission Aagaman. The achievement made India the third country in the world with private orbital launch capability.

PM Modi congratulated the young team for planting India's flag in space, stating that such achievements fill the nation with self-confidence. He noted that the potential and aspirations of the country's youth are as boundless as space itself.

The "56-year-old" remark also recalled previous political sparring. In the run-up to the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, Modi had introduced the phrase "56-inch chest" to imply strength, which the Congress has since used to target him. In February, Gandhi had questioned the "56-inch chest" in parliament regarding border tensions.

Without dwelling further on the swipe, the Prime Minister expressed hope that the Monsoon Session of parliament would prove highly productive. He urged parliamentarians to focus on facts and conduct discussions with logic rather than chaos.