- Mr Rijiju urged Opposition to allow Parliament to felicitate astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla and scientists
- Opposition on Monday disrupted Parliament's special session on India’s space programme
- Union Minister Jitendra Singh criticised the Opposition for not praising India’s space achievements
Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday appealed to Opposition parties to allow Parliament to felicitate Axiom-4 Mission Pilot and IAF Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, along with Indian scientists, for the country's recent success in space exploration.
In a post on X, Kiren Rijiju wrote, "I again.. appeal to opposition parties to allow Parliament to felicitate Capt Subhanshu Shukla and the entire Indian Scientists for India's remarkable and successful space mission. All our heroes deserve appreciation!"
His remarks came after the Opposition created an uproar during a special discussion in Parliament on India's space programme and the successful International Space Station (ISS) mission of Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla.
The discussion, titled "India's Space Program and Its Role in Viksit Bharat 2047", was aimed at highlighting the nation's scientific progress, national pride, and future security prospects.
The opposition members disrupted the session by shouting slogans, demanding a discussion on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list in Bihar.
Earlier, on Monday, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology, Jitendra Singh, hit out at the Opposition parties, calling it "surprising" that the opposition cannot even praise the country's achievements in space.
"The opposition has failed to congratulate the space experts and scientists for our space achievements. Your anger can be with the government. Your anger can be with the BJP and the NDA.
But it is surprising that you can be angry with an astronaut. And that astronaut who, apart from being an astronaut, is also a disciplined soldier of the Indian Air Force. He does not belong to any political party," Jitendra Singh said in Lok Sabha amid sloganeering by the opposition MPs.
Mr Shukla, who returned to Earth on July 15 after completing NASA's Axiom-4 (AX-4) space mission, landed in the national capital in the early hours of Sunday.
Mr Shukla was part of NASA's Axiom-4 Space Mission, which took off from NASA's Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, US, on June 25. He returned to Earth on July 15, splashing down off the coast of California. He became the first Indian in 41 years to travel to space.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
