PM Modi Praises Skyroot’s Young Team, Takes Veiled Dig at Rahul Gandhi

Reaching for the Stars and Taking Political Points

Honoring true innovation

With the monsoon session of Parliament underway, Prime Minister Narendra Modi faced the reporters to shift the focus to something indeed phenomenal – the bright young brains of Skyroot Aerospace. He lauded the historic launch of India’s first privately developed orbital rocket, marvelling at the ambition driving the country’s tech sector forward. The average age of the startup’s team is just 28. These innovators have succeeded in planting India’s flag firmly into space, putting the country in an elite global league with only a handful of nations with private orbital capabilities.

The ‘56-Year-Old’ Swipe and a Political Jab

But, as is his wont, the prime minister couldn't resist a bit of high-tech praise with a heavy dose of political friction. He praised the 28-year-old rocket scientist and took a sharp, indirect dig at political opponents, saying he was celebrating real youth and “not some 56-year-old young man” – a thinly veiled reference to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. The barbed comment quickly became a national story, a neat mix of celebrating state-of-the-art aerospace engineering and classic political point-scoring at the beginning of the legislative term.

Parliamentary Maturity Required

As he looked ahead to the legislative tussles to come, Modi said a country moving at such a fast pace deserved real solutions and maturity from its leaders. Listing a series of recent achievements, including major advances in infrastructure, green energy and technology, he urged lawmakers to leave the hostility behind. “Let’s have a session that’s productive, fact-driven and respectful of all voices,” he said. “The nation’s soaring momentum demands constructive debate, not needless political storms inside the halls of power.”