BBC Criticizes Moon Mission, Anand Mahindra Hits Back

A BBC anchor last night criticized India’s moon mission, saying that the country should focus on poverty alleviation instead. The anchor, said that India has 7 million people living in poverty and that the government should be spending money on things like healthcare and education instead of space exploration.

Anand Mahindra, the chairman of the Mahindra Group, responded to the BBC anchor’s comments in a tweet. He said that India’s poverty was a result of decades of colonial rule and that the country has a right to pursue space exploration as a way to restore its pride and self-confidence.

“The goal of colonization is to convince its victims of their inferiority,” Mahindra said. “Investing in both toilets and space exploration is not a contradiction. What going to the moon does for us is that it helps restore our pride and self-confidence. It creates belief in progress through science. It gives us the aspiration to lift ourselves out of poverty.”, he wrote. 

Mahindra’s comments were widely shared on social media, and many people agreed with him. They argued that India has a right to pursue space exploration and that it is not a sign of neglect for the poor.