While India celebrated the historic achievement of the Chandrayaan-3 landing on the lunar south pole on Wednesday, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s faux pas moment has become a subject of laughter.
Speaking at an event in Kolkata shortly before the Chandrayaan-3 lander reached the moon, Mamata Banerjee had a slip and confused astronaut Rakesh Sharma with Bollywood actor-filmmaker Rakesh Roshan.
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“On behalf of the people of West Bengal, I send my advance congratulations to ISRO. Scientists must get credit. Credit must go to the country. When Rakesh Roshan [sic] landed on the moon, former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi asked him how India looked from there,” Mamata Banerjee said.
Rakesh Sharma, an Indian Air Force pilot became the first Indian to travel to space in 1984 as part of the Soviet Union’s Soyuz T-11 expedition. The astronaut spoke to then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi from space during a live televised news conference.
Also, Rakesh Sharma did not go to the moon. His conversation with Indira Gandhi was from space.
Also Read: Chandrayaan-3 mission: The journey to the Moon so far
Indira Gandhi asked Sharma, “Upar se Bharat kaisa dikhta hai aapko?” (How does India look like from space?). He responded by quoting the poet Iqbal and saying, “Saare jahaan se achcha” (Better than the whole world).
Mamata Banerjee’s remarks triggered a meme fest on social media.
West Bengal Chief Minister’s gaffe went viral adding to the list of public displays of ignorance by political leaders on the question of India’s prestigious and successful moon mission.
For example, Rajasthan sports minister Ashok Chandna congratulated the ‘passengers’ who were on Chandrayaan 3 after its successful soft landing.
Also Read: ‘I salute passengers of Chandrayaan-3’: Rajasthan minister’s faux pas moment caught on cam
India lands on the moon
India made history by becoming the first country to land a spacecraft near the moon’s south pole, a region that is thought to contain water ice. The touchdown took place at 6:04 pm on Wednesday and was met with cheers and celebrations at the ISRO headquarters in Bengaluru.
The rover Pragyan will explore the lunar surface for the next 14 days, or one lunar day, sending back images and data to scientists on Earth.
Also Read: Chandrayaan 3: India’s Audacious Leap to Lunar Supremacy and Scientific Triumph
