New Delhi: Lauding the success of 'Mission Shakti', former DRDO chief VK Saraswat said that India was ready to become the space superpower long ago but "the previous government took no initiative".
Speaking exclusively to ETV Bharat, Saraswat highlighted the failure of the UPA government in acknowledging India's potential and preparedness for launching the space mission.
Saraswat's statement came hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the anti-satellite (A-SAT) weapon has successfully destroyed a decommissioned Indian satellite on a low earth orbit (LEO). This has put India on par with the United States, Russia and China.
Hitting out at the erstwhile government, Saraswat said that 'no' initiative was taken by the previous regime to provide aid and resources to the country's security establishment.
"I was a scientific advisor in 2012-13. After the launch of Agni program, we forwarded a proposal to the country's security establishment that India can demonstrate the engagement of a satellite using the interceptors, which we were capable of developing," he said.
“It was unfortunate that the government did not give the required response” due to which we could not proceed further with the development of the necessary building blocks.
The former DRDO chief went on to add that the lack of permission and aid for resources by the government had blocked the mission.
"Our theoretical stimulations which were done at that time clearly indicated that India had the capability to become a space superpower if the resources and time to develop the required technologies were provided," he added.
Lauding PM Modi's effort, Saraswat said that it is a great moment for India, and Prime Minister's political will has helped the country achieve this milestone.
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