Highlight
- Jairam Ramesh says PM never believes in continuity in governance
- He took to Twitter as soon as INS Vikrant was commissioned
- PM Modi commissions warship that put India in a select league of countries
Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Friday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for ignoring the work done by the previous governments. He was speaking on the commissioning of INS Vikrant in Kochi. India on Friday launched its first indigenously designed and built aircraft carrier INS Vikrant, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi commissioning the warship, putting India in a select league of countries with domestic capability to develop such large ships. .
The Congress veteran said on Twitter that it is a proud moment for the entire country, but to say that this is a complete achievement after 2014 is wrong. He questioned, “India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant today is a collective effort of all governments since 1999. Will the PM accept?” “Let us also remember the original INS Vikrant, which served us well in the 1971 war. Krishna Menon was instrumental in getting it from the UK,” the Congress leader said.
AICC General Secretary Jairam Ramesh further wrote on Twitter, “Our PM never recognizes continuity in governance. #INSVikrant, Today the commission is a huge achievement, but it was started 22 years ago – first Vajpayee Govt, then Manmohan Govt. And then there is the Modi government, continuity.” “It took 22 years and the credit goes to all the governments,” he said.
The Prime Minister unveiled the new naval flag at a function held at the Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) here along with Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar among others. PM Modi, who unveiled a new naval flag inspired by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, said the country has lifted the “burden of slavery”.
The 262 m long and 62 m wide carrier displaces approximately 43000 t when fully loaded, with a maximum design speed of 28 knots with an endurance of 7500 Nm. Built at an estimated cost of Rs 20,000 crore, it has state-of-the-art features and can operate an air wing consisting of 30 aircraft, including MiG-29K fighter jets, apart from domestically manufactured Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH). Earlier, in his address, Modi said Vikrant is an example of the Centre’s thrust to make its defense sector self-reliant.
Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Union Ministers Sarbananda Sonowal and Ajay Bhat and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval were present at the commissioning event.
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