Kamal Haasan invokes AIADMK icon M G Ramachandran's legacy, hints at ties with Rajinikanth for polls
Sivakasi (TN), Dec 15: On his campaign trail,Makkal Needhi Maiam chief Kamal Haasan on Tuesday invoked the welfare legacy of iconic leader late M G Ramachandran and said the former chief minister belonged to the whole of Tamil Nadu.
Haasan asserted 'ego' could be buried and he may join hands with Rajinikanth if electoral ties between their respective parties could be beneficial to the people.
To a question related to Rajinikanth's party launch in January 2021, Haasan said if their association could be beneficial to the people,"we will cooperate by giving up any ego and this has already been stated. There is nothing new to add."
Indicating their long time friendship, he told reporters at Tuticorin, "We are just a phone call away."
If ties between them could be compatible vis-a-vis policies and programmes of the two parties, there could be an electoral tie-up, he said, adding both of them would help each other "if possible."
Like him, Rajinikanth too has raised voiced for a political transformation in Tamil Nadu. "Let him spell out his party's ideology," he said.
Further discussion on the possibility of ties may be taken forward only later,he said.
In the past too, both the actors had said that they were not against joining hands and their assurance to people about corruption free governance and honest politics is a common feature.
Earlier in the day, refraining from naming the AIADMK, he said the party was annoyed after he highlighted MGR in his recent address to a gathering and they claimed the leader belonged only to them.
The late leader, however, belonged to the whole of Tamil Nadu and not just to a party, he said addressing an MNM event here.
It was the reason why the people adored him as 'Makkal Thilagam' (leader of the people) notwithstanding his party affiliation, be it the DMK or later, the AIADMK which he founded, Haasan noted.
All the people in the state would say MGR belonged to them and when this was the case, if the ruling party wanted to get him labelled as the leader of only one party, then the public shall give their verdict against such a stand, he said, adding such a flawed stand worked in their favour.
He tweeted saying he grew up 'on the lap of MGR' while several Tamil Nadu Ministers would not have even seen him personally.
He tagged a 1980's video clip of MGR honouring him with a shawl and award and kissing him. The video appeared to be recorded at a film function.
Superstar Rajinikanth and the BJP have also clung to MGR's legacy of welfare that had drawn the ire of AIADMK which said it was the only successor to his legacy.
MGR is popular and loved by people for several welfare measures during his tenure between 1977-87, including the nutritious meal programme for state-run and government aided school students.
Without naming any parties, Haasan said Tamil Nadu would give a fitting reply to those who thought of wrecking India's pluralistic ethos through caste or religion.
Tamil Nadu always had a distinctive feature and it shall give its verdict against such divisive tendencies, he said.
Taking a dig at the BJP, he said the party could not even keep the national capital clean which prompted Congress leader Sonia Gandhi to go on a sojourn recently to Goa.
He, however, did not explicity mention the Saffron party or Sonia Gandhi.
Also, he reiterated his earlier promises of honest, corruption free government.
On December 13, launching his campaign for the Assembly elections, due next year, from Madurai, he hinted at the possibility of political realignment in Tamil Nadu.
He also said he was 'continuing' late MGR's dream to make 'Madurai' the state's second capital.
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Indian startup's 'Drishti' satellite launched aboard SpaceX rocket
New Delhi (PTI): Bengaluru-based space start-up GalaxEye's Mission Drishti satellite was launched on Sunday aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket from California.
Mission Drishti is the world's first OptoSAR satellite, integrating electro-optical (EO) and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) sensors into a single operational platform, according to the company.
While EO sensors capture high-resolution images during sunlight and clear skies, SAR sensors provide all-weather and all-time images, using radar pulses.
In a statement, Suyash Singh, founder and CEO of GalaxEye, said, "With the satellite (Mission Drishti) now successfully in orbit, our immediate focus is on completing its commissioning. As we move through this phase, we are already witnessing strong global interest in the differentiated datasets enabled by our OptoSAR payload."
The satellite will help address long-standing limitations of conventional systems and enable more reliable and consistent data acquisition across diverse environmental conditions, the company said.
As a dual-use Earth observation satellite, the mission will support use cases across defence, agriculture, disaster management, maritime monitoring, and infrastructure planning.
The satellite is also expected to complement India's broader initiatives, including the 29 active Earth Observation satellites outlined in ISRO's recent annual report.
The launch came after five years of indigenous research and development, and extensive environmental testing and performance validation of the Mission Drishti.
In a statement, Lt Gen AK Bhatt (Retd), director general of Indian Space Association (ISpA), said, "GalaxEye has achieved what only a few global players have, which is seamlessly combining optical and SAR capabilities on a single platform to enable persistent, all-weather intelligence."
What stands out is not just the technology, but its broader impact on how downstream applications will increasingly define value in the space economy, particularly in Earth observation, where timely, decision-grade insights are critical," he added.
ISpA is the premier industry association of space and satellite companies in the country.
Union Minister Jitendra Singh also took note of the Mission Drishti launch, saying the development marked a significant milestone in India's space journey.
In a post on X, the minister said, "The successful launch of the world's first OptoSAR satellite, and the largest privately-built satellite in the country, reflects the immense potential of our young innovators driving nation-building."
GalaxEye aims to scale up Mission Drishti to a constellation of 10 satellites by 2030, developing a robust and sovereign Earth observation infrastructure for India.
