Nah, it’s still very impressive. The two things aren’t necessarily related and you’ve presented zero evidence that they are. The entire idea that India’s options were “feed kids or go to space” is reductive to the point of absurdity. They could do both.

In any case, exploring our solar system isn’t a luxury akin to owning a sports car. It’s science. It’s pushing the boundaries of human knowledge. It is incredibly valuable in a way that’s hard to quantify.

And quite frankly, Modi had precious little to do with this. He’s a politician and this happened while he was in power. That’s it. It’s not like he was in the control room giving directions or turning a screwdriver or something.