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Updated: Mar 27, 2019 22:04 IST

Shortly after his televised address to the nation to announce India’s entry into the space “super league”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted with top scientists at the Defence Research and Development Organisation to compliment them for all the work that had gone into the launch that he said, has propelled India in the big league of space powers.

The prime minister stressed that India had not developed the capability against any country and the country was against arms race in space. In his interaction with the scientists, PM Modi stressed that “if you mean no harm to others, it is all the more necessary to be more powerful”.

“The dream that we see in every sector, Made in India… You have sent a message to the world that hum bhi kuch kam nahi hai (We are no less),” he told them.

PM Modi also praised the scientists in his response to congratulatory messages that poured in on social media, many of them from celebrities such as playback singer Lata Mangeshkar and cricketer Shikhar Dhawan.

“Full credit to our scientists who succeeded in making India a part of an elite group of countries who have ASAT missile capability,” PM Modi tweeted to one of such messages.

“Undaunted by the shameful mockery of a select few, they continue to serve Maa Bharti,” he added, remarks that are seen as a counter to the sharp criticism from the opposition questioning the timing of the test and PM Modi’s televised address to make the announcement.

In a televised address to the nation, PM Modi had announced the anti-satellite missile test by Indian scientists that had destroyed a decommissioned satellite nearly 300 km away in the sky in a 3-minute mission.

PM Modi hailed the country’s first test of such technology as a major breakthrough that establishes it as a space power.

To the cricket team’s opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan, PM Modi tweeted: “Just like you smash the bad deliveries out of the park, our scientists have given India the capability to smash those forces who threaten our peace and harmony.”

India is only the fourth country to have used such an anti-satellite weapon after the United States, Russia and China, said PM Modi. Anti-satellite weapons allow for attacks on enemy satellites, blinding them or disrupting communications and provide a technology base to intercept ballistic missiles.

China’s foreign ministry later said it hoped all countries “can earnestly protect lasting peace and tranquility in space”. Pakistan, on the other hand, said space is the “common heritage of mankind and every nation has the responsibility to avoid actions which can lead to the militarization of this arena”. The United States and Russia have declined to make any immediate comment.