Kolkata

The euphoria that took over India after a successful lunar landing by Chandrayaan-3's Vikram lander is yet to settle down. But a number of faux pas made by Indian politicians are grabbing headlines. This time it's Mamata Banerjee, the chief of Opposition party Trinamool Congress who is also the Chief Minister of West Bengal state in eastern India. 

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The latest faux pas by Mamata Banerjee came days after she mistakenly referred Rakesh Sharma -- the first Indian person who went to space aboard a Soviet spacecraft in the 1980s -- as Rakesh Roshan, a Hindi film director-producer.

This time, Banerjee ended up saying that Indira Gandhi, India's prime minister when Indian Air Force's Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma went to space, also reached the Moon herself during that time. 

Recalling India's first journey to space during Indira Gandhi's government, Mamata Banerjee said, "When Indira Gandhi reached the Moon, she asked Rakesh how Hindustan (India) looks from there. He replied 'Saare jahaan se achcha' (The best in the world)."

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She made the comments while addressing a rally on the Trinamool Chhatra Parishad (TMCP) Foundation Day, the student wing of the Trinamool Congress party. 

The space mission that Mamata Banerjee referred to did not entail any lunar objectives. The Soyuz T-11 space mission, which had Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma and five other Soviet nationals, was meant for outer space.

What Banerjee perhaps meant to point out was India's achievement in outer space when Indira Gandhi was prime minister but ended up blending the space mission with the lunar one.

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Also read | Mamata Banerjee’s TMC outclasses BJP in West Bengal panchayat polls

Previously, Mamata Banerjee was criticised for referring to Rakesh Sharma as Rakesh Roshan when the West Bengal chief minister was applauding the scientists of the Indian Space Research Organisation for the historic success of India's Chandrayaan-3 mission. 

Also watch | Chandrayaan-3 mission: Pragyan rover deployed

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India, on August 23, became the first country in the world to land a Lander Module near the Moon's south pole, stoking festive celebrations across India and beyond.

Also read | Chandrayaan-3 is success: A soft landing for Vikram lander, giant leap for India's space odyssey

After the Vikram Lander landed on the Moon, the rover Pragyan waited for the lunar dust to settle before beginning to traverse the lunar terrain with its rear wheels which have been leaving the imprints of ISRO and India's national emblem on the lunar surface. 

For the world's most populous nation, a wave of anticipation that swept through its length and breadth since July 14 has achieved a glorious first conclusion.

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