UK journalist faces backlash for 'don't come for foreign aid' jibe on Chandrayaan-3 success

UK-based news presenter Patrick Christys apparently congratulated India on the successful landing of Chandrayaan-3, followed by some cheap mockery inspired by colonial hangover. His subsequent comments on India didn’t go down well with netizens: he demanded India return the £2.3 billion of foreign aid that was provided by Britain.

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He said, “I would like to congratulate India for landing on the dark side of the Moon. I would also like to now invite India to return the £2.3 billion of foreign aid money that we sent them between 2016 and 2021. We are also set to give them £57 million pounds next year and I think the British taxpayer should keep hold of that, don’t you?”

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"We should not be giving money to countries with a space programme. As a rule, if you can afford to fire a rocket to the dark side of the Moon, you shouldn’t be coming to us with your hand out."

Netizens slam Britishjournalistfor his ill-informed remarks

As soon as the clip of his remarks went viral, netizens slammed him, with some demanding that Britain returnthe Kohinoor which was taken from India during British rule. The clip also had comments from netizens commenting how during the British rule in India, millions of pounds were looted by the British rulers.

Here are some reactions:

Oh the jealous racist rant!😂
You stole more than $45 trillion from India, left the country broken and dirt poor, yet India overcame and has overtaken your economy today. What did Britain do with the $45 trillion + that they stole from India alone? NHS is in doldrums, almost… — Anu Iyengar 🇮🇳🇺🇸 (@Anu_Iyengar_) August 23, 2023

The video, since being shared on August 24, has accumulated nearly a millionviews.

The journalist’s insensitive remarks has triggered an uproar online.

Spread misinformation and then whine when people call you out.

FCDO spokesperson: “Since 2015 the UK has given no financial aid to the government of India. Most of our funding now is focused on business investments which help create new markets and jobs for the UK.” — malika (@malikakas) August 23, 2023

‘Britain, give us back our $44.997 TRILLION!’

Hi @PatrickChristys, @GBNEWS

Thank you for reminding about the grant. Now ‘as a rule, salute us & return $45 TRILLION you’ve looted from us’

Britain gave, as you say,
£2.3 BILLION i.e. $2.5 BILLION.

Deduct it & return the… pic.twitter.com/9lSfwpvoWn — Shashank Shekhar Jha (@shashank_ssj) August 23, 2023

“We understand your pain. Even after looting India’s 45T£, you are not able to achieve what India did,” posted an individual.

“So when was the last time the UK landed anything on the moon? Brexit Man is jealous!” ridiculed a third.

Indian entrepreneur and Chairman of the Mahindra Group, Anand Mahindra also gave a befitting reply to the British journalist in the most subtle way possible.

He wrote on X, “Yet the most valuable possession we were robbed of was not the Kohinoor Diamond but our pride & belief in our own capabilities.”

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Really?? The truth is that, in large part, our poverty was a result of decades of colonial rule which systematically plundered the wealth of an entire subcontinent. Yet the most valuable possession we were robbed of was not the Kohinoor Diamond but our pride & belief in our own… https://t.co/KQP40cklQZ — anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) August 24, 2023

The Chandrayaan-3 lander touched down on the lunar surface at 6.04 p.m. on August 23, propelling India to an exclusive club of four countries with successful moon missions, and the first to do so on the moon's south pole.

(With inputs from agencies)

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