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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Compromised PM didn't sign trade deal with US, but a bargain for Adani's release: Rahul
New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of signing a trade deal with the US only to secure the "release" of billionaire businessman Gautam Adani.
"Compromised PM did not strike a trade deal, but a bargain for Adani's release," Gandhi said in a post in Hindi on X, after reports that the US has agreed to settle the lawsuit that accused Adani of hiding alleged bribery.
The US government has agreed to settle the lawsuit filed against Adani, who is accused of duping investors by concealing that his company's huge solar energy project in India was being facilitated by an alleged bribery scheme, according to court filings published Thursday.
Reacting to the reports, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said it was now clear why the PM agreed to the "hopelessly one-sided Indo-US trade deal that was really a steal by the US".
"And it is also clear why he abruptly halted Operation Sindoor on May 10, 2025, acting on President Trump's threats rather than on our national interest. Reportedly, the Trump Administration is about to drop all charges of corruption against Modani," he said on X.
"How much more compromised can the PM get?" Ramesh asked.
In the lawsuit filed in late 2024, the Securities and Exchange Commission accused Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani and his nephew Sagar Adani, who is a director at the group's renewable energy unit Adani Green Energy Ltd, of agreeing to pay about USD 265 million in bribes to Indian government officials between approximately 2020 and 2024 to obtain lucrative solar energy supply contracts on terms that expected to yield USD 2 billion of profit over 20 years.
It was alleged in the lawsuit that Adani Group raised USD 2 billion in loans and bonds, including from US firms, on the backs of false and misleading statements related to the firm's anti-bribery practices and policies.
The ports-to-energy conglomerate had denied the allegations.
