NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday took a veiled swipe at leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi while praising India’s growing space capabilities, saying he was referring to the “28-year-old youngsters and not any 56-year-old youngster.“Addressing reporters ahead of the commencement of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, PM Modi referred to the team behind Skyroot Aerospace and said, “The young people working in this ‘Skyroot’ startup–I have been told the average age of their entire team is only 28 years.”“Such youngsters have accomplished this work; I am not talking about any 56-year-old ‘youngster,’ I am talking about these startups in the country with an average age of 28 that have planted India’s flag in space,” he added, taking a dig at the Congress leader.He further highlighted India’s recent achievements in the space sector and credited the country’s young innovators for driving the success.“Just before last year’s Monsoon Session, an Indian citizen reached the International Space Station, and the day before yesterday, India’s young startup achieved a very big milestone. There are very few countries in the world where such private ventures have taken place, and India’s youth have taken a new flight into space. It is a very big success,” the prime minister said.“The benefits of the monsoon are visible, and the Monsoon Session is also commencing. Both the monsoon and the Monsoon Session are very productive; when both are productive, it leads to the welfare of the nation and the welfare of all living beings. Therefore, we pray that both the monsoon and the Monsoon Session remain productive,” he added.Appealing to all political parties and MPs to ensure smooth functioning of Parliament, the prime minister also pointed to India’s economic resilience despite global challenges.Addressing journalists minutes before Parliament convened, PM Modi said the conflict in West Asia had created major challenges for India, which depends heavily on imported energy. Despite the crisis, he said, the Indian economy registered a growth rate of 7.7 per cent.“We hope that the monsoon and the Monsoon Session of Parliament are productive… I appeal to all MPs to wholeheartedly participate in proceedings of Monsoon session,” he added.His remarks came two days after Skyroot Aerospace’s Vikram-1 Test Flight-1 successfully reached orbit, marking the maiden flight of India’s first privately developed orbital-class rocket.The mission, named Mission Aagaman, was launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre. The 24-metre carbon-composite rocket completed all planned flight stages, including stage separations and the firing of its Orbital Adjustment Module (OAM), before placing its payloads into a nearly 450-km orbit. The achievement made India the third country in the world with private orbital launch capability.Earlier, PM Modi had congratulated Skyroot Aerospace on the successful mission, calling it a landmark achievement for India’s private space sector.The Monsoon Session of Parliament began on Monday with the Lok Sabha scheduled to take up obituary references, Question Hour, papers to be laid on the Table, a ministerial statement, and the introduction of The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026, among other listed business.
