Rahul Gandhi's article has exposed BJP, says Sanjay Raut; claims believers in democracy concerned
Mumbai, Jun 8 (PTI): Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut on Sunday claimed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's article alleging "match-fixing" and "rigging" in the 2024 Maharashtra assembly polls has exposed the BJP.
Raut claimed Gandhi's article, which was published in several newspapers, has led to concern among those people in the world who believe in democracy.
He further claimed Gandhi is an "extraordinary human being" and occupies a constitutional post of Leader of Opposition.
"The BJP has been exposed. (Chief Minister) Devendra Fadnavis may write articles but the entire world knows how the elections were won," Raut said.
On Saturday, Gandhi, in an article published in several newspapers and in posts on X, claimed the 2024 Maharashtra assembly elections were a "blueprint for rigging democracy" and alleged this "match-fixing" would happen next in Bihar, where polls are due later this year.
To this, Fadnavis responded with an article in which he said instead of introspecting on the defeat in the 2024 state assembly polls, Gandhi has been repudiating the mandate given by the people because they rejected him.
Raut claimed the BJP could not have won even 25 seats in the polls to the 288-member Maharashtra assembly, while the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar's NCP would have emerged victorious on less than 10.
"It was not possible for the BJP and its allies to win the Maharashtra state assembly polls," he said.
The election was "hijacked" under the pretext of the Mukhyamantri Ladki Bahin Yojana, a scheme credited for the Mahayuti's stupendous success, he claimed.
In the assembly polls held in November last year, the BJP won 132 seats, followed by 57 for the Shiv Sena and 41 for the NCP. The opposition Congress emerged victorious on 16, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) on 20 and Sharad Pawar's NCP (SP) on 10.
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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.
