The BJP on Friday took a swipe at Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on his birthday, sarcastically extending wishes in Mandarin, in an apparent reference to the controversy surrounding a ‘Chinese flag’ advertisement by the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK).
In a post on X directed towards Stalin, the state unit of BJP wrote, “Here’s wishing our Honourable CM Thiru MK Stalin avargal a happy birthday in his favourite language! May he live a long and healthy life!”
This development adds fuel to the ongoing war of words between the DMK and the BJP, triggered by a newspaper advertisement featuring Prime Minister Modi and Stalin in connection with ISRO’s upcoming spaceport at Kulasekarapattinam in Thoothukudi district.
Also Read:PM Modi mocks DMK for using image of rocket with Chinese flag in newspaper advertisement
The ad displayed a rocket with a Chinese flag, prompting criticism from several quarters.
The controversy gained light as the advertisement, displaying a rocket with a Chinese flag on its nose cone, alongside images of both leaders appeared in all leading dailies. Notably, it surfaced ahead of the foundation stone-laying event for the spaceport by PM Modi.
Tamil Nadu Fisheries Minister Anitha R Radhakrishnan, who issued the ad, attributed the use of the Chinese flag to a design error and emphasized the party’s love for India. “A small mistake happened in the advertisement. We have no other intention. We have only love for India in our hearts,” Radhakrishnan said.
Prime Minister Modi, however, lashed out at the DMK government during a public address in Tirunelveli, stating that the ad insulted Indian scientists and amounted to a misuse of public funds.
“DMK is a party that does not work but stands ahead to take false credit. These people paste their stickers on our schemes. Now they have crossed the limits, they have pasted China’s sticker to take credit for the ISRO launch pad in Tamil Nadu,” PM Modi said while addressing a gathering in Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu.
He further alleged that the DMK is ‘not ready’ to accept India’s progress in the space sector.