BJP wishes 'Happy Birthday, Stalin' in 'his favorite language' amidst ISRO ad controversy

The DMK-led Tamil Nadu government's use of a Chinese rocket image in an advertisement took an unexpected turn as the Tamil Nadu BJP wished Chief Minister MK Stalin a happy birthday in Mandarin on March 1. The BJP claimed it to be Stalin's favorite language and even provided a drafted Mandarin birthday wish for public use. The move added a humorous twist to the ongoing controversy surrounding the Chinese rocket image.

The BJP Tamil Nadu's Mandarin birthday wish for Chief Minister MK Stalin humorously stated: "Happy birthday Stalin! Wish you a long and healthy life." The post, shared as part of the BJP's creative approach to the ongoing controversy, quickly gained attention and went viral on social media.

The advertisement blunder turned into a BJP-DMK face-off after Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted the issue on February 28 while inaugurating a new launch complex for ISRO at Kulasekarapattinam.

Criticizing the DMK-led Tamil Nadu government, Modi stated, "They have pasted the sticker of China to take credit for ISRO launchpad in Tamil Nadu. This is an insult to our space scientists, space sector, your tax money, and you (the country)." Modi further expressed his views on social media, calling the DMK's advertisement hilarious and demanding an apology for insulting Indian science and the space sector.

Instead of issuing an apology, DMK MP Kanimozhi questioned whether India had declared China as an enemy country. She highlighted that Prime Minister Modi himself had invited Chinese President Xi Jinping to India, raising questions about the criticism of the Chinese rocket advertisement. Kanimozhi's response emphasized the diplomatic relations between India and China and suggested that the controversy might be unwarranted.

Acknowledging the error, DMK minister Anitha Radhakrishnan admitted that the mistake occurred due to a lapse by the designer and went unnoticed by everyone involved. The acceptance of responsibility suggested that it was an unintentional error rather than a deliberate act.

"A small mistake has been made in the newspaper advertisement given by us regarding the setting up of a rocket launch pad in the Kulasekarapatnam area. The image of the Chinese flag in the advertisement welcoming Prime Minister Narendra Modi was a mistake by those who designed the advertisement, which went unnoticed by us," said the DMK leader.