'Small mistake': Tamil Nadu minister on China flag in ISRO ad

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader and Fisheries Minister Anitha Radhakrishnan accepted the mistake on Thursday after the Tamil Nadu government was left red-faced after an advertisement for a new Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) that featured a rocket with the flag of China.

Radhakrishnan said that a small mistake was made in the newspaper advertisement by them.

"A small mistake has been made in the newspaper advertisement given by us regarding the setting up of a rocket launch pad in the Kulasekarapatnam area. The image of the Chinese flag in the advertisement welcoming Prime Minister Narendra Modi was a mistake by those who designed the advertisement, which went unnoticed by us," said the DMK leader.

Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party president K Annamalai on Wednesday criticised the ruling DMK for using the 'China flag' in rocket advertisement promoting the proposed second launch pad of ISRO in the state.

Annamalai alleged that DMK has been 'desperate' to paste stickers since the announcement of the second launch pad coming up in the state was made.

'This advertisement by DMK Minister Anita Radhakrishnan to leading Tamil dailies today is a manifestation of DMK's commitment to China and their total disregard for our country's sovereignty. DMK, a party fighting high on corruption, has been desperate to paste stickers ever since the announcement of ISRO's second launch pad in Kulasekarapatinam was released,' Annamalai said in a post on X.

Earlier, the BJP Tamil Nadu chief further accused the DMK of being the reason Tamil Nadu lost Satish Dhawan Space Centre to Andhra Pradesh.

'The amount of desperation only proves their attempt to bury their past misdeeds, but we must remind them that DMK was why the Satish Dhawan Space Centre is today in Andhra Pradesh and not Tamil Nadu,' Annamalai said.

'When the first launch pad of ISRO was conceptualised, TN was the first choice of ISRO. TN CM Annadurai, who could not attend the meeting because of severe shoulder pain, deputed Mathiyazhagan, one of his ministers, for the meeting,' the post further mentioned.

'ISRO officials were kept waiting for a long time, and Mathiyazhagan was finally brought to the meeting in an "inebriated state" and was incoherent throughout the meeting. And this was the treatment our country's space programme received 60 years ago. DMK hasn't changed much and has only become worse!' he added.

The controversy erupted following a newspaper advertisement by the DMK government promoting the laying of the foundation stone for ISRO's second launch pad complex in Kulsekarapatinam, which showcased a 'China flag' among rockets from other countries in the background.

Meanwhile, #Thankyoukanimozhi was trending on the micro-blogging site, X, on Wednesday, lauding DMK MP from Thoothukudi, Kanimozhi, for her efforts towards bringing ISRO's second launch pad to Kulasekarapatinam.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, earlier in the day, also criticised the DMK government over the newspaper advertisement while he was addressing a gathering in Tamil Nadu's Tirunelveli.

"The 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," Modi said while addressing a gathering in Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu.

The prime minister alleged that the DMK is 'not ready' to accept India's progress in the space sector.

"They are not ready to accept India's progress in the space sector and with the taxes that you pay, they give advertisements and do not even include a picture of India's space in it. They did not want to present India's space success in front of the world, they insulted our scientists, our space sector, and your tax money. Now it's high time that the DMK is punished for their deeds," Modi said.

The prime minister was on a two-day visit to Tamil Nadu, during which he launched multiple development projects in the state.