Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that he had personally advised Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar against making the effort to greet him at the airport upon his arrival as he was not sure of his arrival time after a long flight.
According to a PTI report, Prime Minister Modi arrived in Bengaluru at approximately 6 am, having flown directly from the Greek capital, Athens. His purpose was to engage with the ISRO scientists engaged in the Chandrayaan-3 mission to the Moon.
Also Read: PM Modi’s Bengaluru Visit LIVE: PM meets ISRO’s women scientists involved in Chandrayaan-3 success
Speaking before a sizable crowd gathered at the HAL airport, the Prime Minister mentioned that due to his arrival from a distant location (Athens), he was uncertain about the exact arrival time. He communicated his request to the Governor, Chief Minister, and Deputy Chief Minister, urging them not to undertake the effort of welcoming him. He emphasized that his intention was to swiftly pay his respects to the ISRO scientists and subsequently depart.
“So, I had requested them that when I pay a formal visit, they definitely follow protocol”, Modi said, “They cooperated and I am thankful and grateful to them,” he said.
Before PM Modi’s scheduled visit to Bengaluru to meet with ISRO scientists, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh made claims on Friday that Modi had purportedly prevented Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar from welcoming him at the HAL Airport.
Ramesh asserted that the Prime Minister exhibited annoyance towards Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar for honouring the ISRO scientists ahead of his visit. He characterized Modi’s decision to prevent the Chief Minister and his deputy from receiving him as an instance of, ‘petulant petty politics’.
Also Read: Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah ‘barred’ by PM Modi from receiving him at airport: Congress
Siddaramaiah on Thursday visited the Missions Operations Complex at (ISTRAC) and felicitated ISRO chief S Somanath and his team on the successful touchdown of the Chandrayaan-3 mission’s lander on the Lunar surface.
“The government will officially honour them by organising a special programme at the Banquet hall at Vidhana Soudha. About 500 scientists from Karnataka were part of it. ISRO Chairman S Somanath and his team will be honoured,” Siddaramaiah had said.
“Has PM Modi forgotten CM Modi’s visit to the Space Applications Centre in Ahmedabad on 22nd Oct, 2008 just after the successful launch of the Chandrayaan-I at a time when Dr. Manmohan Singh was the Prime Minister?” Ramesh asked in his post.
India on Wednesday scripted history as ISRO’s ambitious third Moon mission Chandrayaan-3’s Lander Module (LM) touched down on the lunar surface, making it only the fourth country to accomplish the feat, and the first to reach the uncharted south pole of Earth’s only natural satellite.
Also Read: PM Modi gets emotional while addressing ISRO scientists over Chandrayaan-3 mission | WATCH
In the meantime, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced on Thursday that the state government is planning to arrange a dedicated event to formally honor the ISRO team for their achievement. The Chief Minister visited the Missions Operations Complex located at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Telemetry, Tracking, and Command Network (ISTRAC) in Bengaluru.
During this visit, he extended his congratulations to ISRO chief S Somanath and his team for the successful landing, acknowledging their accomplishment.
(With inputs from PTI)
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Updated: 26 Aug 2023, 10:42 AM IST