Shatrughan Sinha lashes out at BJP for forming govt in Karnataka without majority
Patna, May 17: Questioning the very decision of his own party BJP in forming the government in Karnataka without having majority, party MP Shatrughan Sinha said that beyond the public opinion, money politics is neither acceptable nor desirable.
In a series of tweets, Sinha said that the JDS-Congress combine should have given the chance to form the government has the post-poll alliance has the majority. “Why are we playing with the fire? Those who advocate democracy are making mockery of it. The people who do not forget to give speeches on values of democracy are killing the entire democratic system. It is not possible to accept the politics dominated by the money instead of public verdict. It is not desirable. You cannot make all fool at all time to get the power and it is not advisable”, he tweeted.
“It may be termed as penny wise pound foolish politics. Let us wish that good sense, maturity and wisdom should prevail. Now, the issue is in the court. We hold judiciary in a high esteem. Let us wait and see. At this time, any person wishes that the justice prevails. What is right for Peter should be right for Paul too. In the same way, what is right for Meghalaya, Manipur and Goa should be right for Karnataka. Let the God save Karnataka and democracy. Jai Hind”, Sinha tweeted.
It can be recalled that though the BJP was not the single largest party in all these three states, it has formed governments with post-poll alliances in those states.
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India harbouring big and bold dreams in space sector: Shubhanshu Shukla
Kolkata (PTI): Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, the first Indian astronaut to go to the International Space Station, on Wednesday said the country is harbouring “big and bold dreams”, foraying into human spaceflight after a hiatus of 41 years.
Shukla was the first Indian to visit the International Space Station as part of the Axiom-4 mission. He returned to India from the US on August 17, 2025, after the 18-day mission.
The space is a “great place to be”, marked by deep peace and an “amazing view” that becomes more captivating with time, he said, interacting with schoolchildren at an event organised by the Indian Centre for Space Physics here.
“The longer you stay, the more you enjoy it,” Shukla said, adding on a lighter note that he “actually kind of did not want to come back”.
Shukla said the hands-on experience in space was very different from what he had learnt during training.
He said the future of India’s space science was “very bright”, with the country harbouring “very big and bold dreams”.
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Shukla described his ISS flight, undertaken with support from the US, as a crucial “stepping stone” towards realising India’s ‘Vision Gaganyaan’.
“The experience gained is a national asset. It is already being used by internal committees and design teams to ensure ongoing missions are on the right track,” he said.
Shukla said the country’s space ambitions include the Gaganyaan human spaceflight programme, the Bharatiya Station (India’s own space station), and eventually a human landing on the Moon.
While the Moon mission is targeted for 2040, he said these projects are already in the pipeline, and the field will evolve at a “very rapid pace” over the next 10-20 years.
He told the students that though these targets are challenging, they are “achievable by people like you”, urging them to take ownership of India’s aspirations.
The sector will generate “a lot of employment opportunities” as India expands its human spaceflight capabilities, he noted.
Echoing the iconic words of India’s first astronaut Rakesh Sharma, Shukla said that from orbit, “India is still the best in the world”.
Shukla also asserted that the achievement was not his alone, but that of the entire country.
“The youth of India are extremely talented. They must stay focused, remain curious and work hard. It is their responsibility to help build a developed India by 2047,” he said.
Highlighting a shift from Sharma’s era, Shukla said India is now developing a full-fledged astronaut ecosystem.
With Gaganyaan and future missions, children in India will be able to not only dream of becoming astronauts, but also achieving it within the country, he said.
“Space missions help a village kid believe he can go to space someday. When you send one person to space, you lift million hopes. That is why such programmes must continue... The sky is not the limit,” Shukla said.
“Scientists must prepare for systems that will last 20-30 years, while ensuring they can integrate technologies that will emerge a decade from now,” he said.
Shukla added that he looked forward to more space missions, and was keen to undertake a space walk, which will require him to "train for another two years".
