BJP leader writes to Karnataka education min over Kannada lecturer's post ‘mocking’ Chandrayaan-3

A BJP leader has written to the Karnataka education minister demanding a clarification from a lecturer for allegedly mocking the ISRO's Chandrayaan-3 mission.

Published on: Jul 19, 2023, 13:30:39 IST

By Yamini C S

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Suresh Kumar, a senior leader from the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Karnataka, on Monday demanded a clarification from a Kannada lecturer for allegedly mocking the Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) Chandrayaan-3 mission.

The lecturer works at a government pre-graduate college in Bengaluru's Malleswaram, and had posted on social media that the moon mission will fail this time around as well.

READ | Chandrayaan-3: First orbit-raising manoeuvre successfully performed, says ISRO

The BJP leader wrote a letter to the Karnataka education minister Madhubangrappa in this light, and asked how the lecturer can motivate students if he posts such things on social media. Murthy tweeted in Kannada, “e salavu chandrayan -3 tirupati naama ansatte”, meaning “Chandrayaan-3 will fail this time around as well.”

The letter, dated July 17, read that Hulikunte Murthy, a Kannada lecturer at Malleswaram Government Pre-Graduate College showed "unhealthy" behaviour by posting against the ISRO's ambitious lunar mission.

"While the entire country wishes and prays for the success of Chandrayaan-3, Hulikunte Murthy has shown unhealthy behaviour by posting on social media that 'this time also Chandrayaan gone case' (e salavu chandrayan -3 tirupati naama ansatte)," it said.

READ | Viral pic: Chandrayaan-3 lights up Australia’s night sky

"He has shown his freedom of expression in this way. How can such a person motivate our students? I request you to check on him and warn him not to repeat this kind of irresponsible behaviour," the letter further stated.

Notably, a group of ISRO scientists had offered prayers at the Tirupati Balaji temple in Andhra Pradesh ahead of the mission's launch.

Chandrayaan-3 took off from the face of the earth on Friday from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh’s Sriharikota. It is expected to land on the moon on August 23, after which it will operate for one lunar day, which is approximately 14 Earth days.

(With inputs from ANI)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yamini C S
Yamini CS is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with nearly six years of experience in digital journalism. She is part of the India News desk, where she works on a wide range of stories cutting across civic issues, city-based developments, politics, governance, public policy, breaking news, trending topics, and international affairs that have an impact on India. Her role involves tracking fast-moving developments, verifying information from official and on-ground sources, and presenting news in a clear, accessible format for a digital-first audience. A significant part of her work includes handling live blogs during major news events, such as elections, court verdicts, political developments, civic disruptions, protests, weather-related alerts, and unfolding national or international incidents. Through live coverage, she focuses on timely updates to help readers follow complex stories as they evolve. Before moving to the broader India News desk, Yamini was associated with the Bengaluru desk at Hindustan Times, where she extensively covered urban governance, infrastructure, traffic and transport issues, weather events, public grievances, and civic administration in the city. This experience strengthened her grounding in city reporting and sharpened her focus on citizen-centric journalism. She began her career as a correspondent with Reuters after completing a postgraduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media. Her early training instilled a strong emphasis on accuracy, sourcing, and news ethics, which continue to shape her reporting style. Outside of work, Yamini enjoys reading across genres, listening to music, and spending time with her family, which help her maintain balance in a fast-paced newsroom environment.Read More

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