Flight test of Agni-5 missile: Cong slams PM for 'taking credit', says it was cleared under UPA

The missile can bring almost the entire Asia, including the northernmost part of China as well as some regions in Europe, under its striking range.The Agni 1 to 4 missiles have ranges from 700 km to 3,500 km and have already been deployed.

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the first flight test of indigenously developed Agni-5 missile, the Congress on Monday hit out at the PM for taking credit and asserted that it was the Manmohan Singh government that cleared the development of MIRVs for Agni 5.

Modi congratulated Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) scientists over the first flight test of indigenously developed Agni-5 missile, capable of deploying multiple warheads.

In a post on X, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, ''Agni 5 with an announced 5000km range was first test fired on 19 April 2012. This led to the Dr. Manmohan Singh Government clearing the development of MIRVs for Agni 5 - which has today been test fired successfully.'' ''The credit-jeevi PM's hypocrisy knows no limits. DRDO should of course be congratulated but Mr. Modi has spared no effort in demoralising the DRDO,'' he said.

''He has set up 2 committees in the last 3 years to essentially see how DRDO can be privatised or simply shut down,'' Ramesh added.

The Agni-5, with a range of 5,000 km, is developed considering the long-term security needs of the country. The missile can bring almost the entire Asia, including the northernmost part of China as well as some regions in Europe, under its striking range.

The Agni 1 to 4 missiles have ranges from 700 km to 3,500 km and have already been deployed.