Prakash Raj calls Chandrayaan-3 landing on Moon 'proud moment' after social media criticism
Bengaluru, Aug 23: Days after Prakash Raj was criticised for his social media post on Chandrayaan-3, the actor on Wednesday congratulated the Indian Space Research Organisation for charting history as India's third Moon mission Chandrayaan-3 landed on the lunar surface.
Raj was trolled on Monday for his post on X, formerly Twitter, viewed by many as mocking Chandrayaan-3. He later responded to the backlash by saying, "hate sees only hate" and that he was referring to an old joke.
In his latest tweet, the 58-year-old actor said the successful landing of Chandrayaan-3 on the Moon's uncharted south pole was a moment of celebration for mankind.
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"INDIA.. PROUD MOMENTS OF MANKIND .. THANKS #ISRO #Chandrayaan3 #VikramLander AND TO ALL WHO MADE IT POSSIBLE .. LET THIS BE THE WAY TO EXPLORE MORE WONDERS OF THE WIDE WORLD .. CELEBRATE .. #justasking," Raj wrote in Kannada on the microblogging site.
But social media users further called out the actor for trying to change tack.
"You have already caused the damage. Don't try to sugarcoat. Tables have turned..." said one user on X.
Another criticised Raj, known to be vocal against the government, for being a turncoat.
"2 din m Party badal liye (sic)" read the post.
"Congratulations to you too. Our chaiwala and our scientists have created history today and have given a message to all the haters. This is the #newindia that turns all curses and jokes into boons!" said another in a tweet.
On Sunday, the multiple National Award winner shared a cartoon showing a man in a shirt and sarong pouring tea. He captioned the cartoon in Kannada, writing, "Latest news: First view just arrived from the Chandrayaan #VikramLander #justasking".
While Raj did not specify the man in the cartoon, many social media users slammed the actor for making fun of former ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) chief K Sivan.
The actor later issued a clarification saying that his earlier tweet was referring to an old joke from the era of Neil Armstrong, the American astronaut and the first person to walk on the Moon in 1969.
"Hate sees only Hate... i was referring to a joke of #Armstrong times.. celebrating our Kerala Chaiwala.. which Chaiwala did the TROLLS see?? .. if you don't get a joke then the joke is on you.. Grow up #justasking(sic)," Raj had tweeted.
India's Moon mission Chandrayaan-3 touched down on the lunar south pole at 6.04 pm on Wednesday, making it the first country to land on the uncharted surface.
The lander module comprising the lander (Vikram) and the 26-kg rover (Pragyan) made the soft landing near the south polar region of the Moon at 6.04 pm, less than a week after a similar Russian lander crashed.
With this touchdown on Moon to script history after a flawless 41-day voyage and less than a week after a Russian lander headed to the lunar south pole crashed, India has become the fourth country to master the technology of soft-landing on the Moon after the US, China and the erstwhile Soviet Union.
PROUD MOMENT for INDIA and to Humankind.. 🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿Thank you #ISRO #Chandrayaan3 #VikramLander and to everyone who contributed to make this happen .. may this guide us to Explore and Celebrate the mystery of our UNIVERSE .. #justasking
— Prakash Raj (@prakashraaj) August 23, 2023
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PM Modi has taken 'bold decisions' to combat terrorism, says HD Deve Gowda
New Delhi, May 6 (PTI): Former prime minister HD Deve Gowda on Tuesday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had taken "bold decisions" to combat terrorism following the April 22 Pahalgam attack and affirmed his and his party's support for all the decisions to end the menace.
"We need to teach the terrorists a lesson. This is the first time that a prime minister has taken such bold steps. No prime minister has given such supreme authority to the army," Deve Gowda said at a press conference.
The Janata Dal (Secular) leader noted Modi implemented several measures, including granting full operational freedom to the Indian Armed Forces to determine the mode, targets and timing of their response.
Founded by Deve Gowda, the Janata Dal (Secular) is a constituent of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance. His son HD Kumaraswamy is a minister in the Union government.
Deve Gowda noted that the current situation could not be compared to the 1971 war between India and Pakistan, describing them as "different scenarios".
The former prime minister also welcomed the Centre's decision to enumerate caste in the upcoming general census while hitting out at the caste survey conducted in Karnataka.
"Karnataka is indulging in politics in the name of caste census. Even Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's Cabinet does not agree with the caste census conducted in the state," he said.
Deve Gowda said the Karnataka survey had identified 1,351 castes and sub-castes, with the Kurubas being among the prominent backward communities.
He also questioned Siddaramaiah's commitment to his AHINDA platform. "How many staff has he hired from backward communities or his own Kuruba community in his own office?"
The Karnataka caste survey report has recommended reclassifying the Kuruba community from category 2A to the more backward 1B category, reflecting its socio-economic status.
AHINDA represents a significant portion of Karnataka's population, including religious minorities (Muslims and Christians), Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes.
