Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday took an apparent dig at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi while praising the young innovators behind India's first privately developed orbital rocket, saying he was not referring to a "56-year-old young man".
Addressing the media ahead of Parliament's Monsoon Session, he said in the past month, the country has achieved many milestones, filling citizens with pride and these achievements span national, international, and even space domains.
He said there have been moments of glory just before the Monsoon Session last year as an Indian citizen reached the International Space Station and only the day before yesterday, a young Indian start-up accomplished an extraordinary feat.
He was referring to Skyroot Aerospace on Saturday launching the country's first private orbital rocket, Vikram-1, and successfully placing multiple technology-demonstration payloads into the desired orbit, making India the third country with private orbital launch capabilities after the US and China.
Modi said there are only a handful of countries in the world where private enterprises have demonstrated such capability and Indian young innovators have taken the country’s aspirations to new heights in space, and this is a truly remarkable achievement.
"I am told that the average age of the team working at the Skyroot start-up is just 28 years. It is these young minds who have made this possible. I am not talking about a 56-year-old young man; I am talking about a start-up whose team, with an average age of just 28, has planted India’s flag in the realm of space," he said.
Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, turned 56 on June 19 this year.
The prime minister also said that the youth certainly deserve the country's heartfelt congratulations.
"More importantly, such achievements instil immense confidence in our nation and further strengthen India’s standing as a respected and trusted partner in the world," he said.
(With inputs from PTI)