Did Indira Gandhi land on the Moon? Mamata Banerjee’s space goof-up that no one saw coming!

While India is still basking in the unprecedented euphoria following Chandrayaan-3’s historic lunar landing, a series of political blunders are stealing the spotlight! West Bengal’s Chief Minister and the leader of the opposition party, Trinamool Congress, Mamata Banerjee, has done it again. After confusing India’s first astronaut Rakesh Sharma with Bollywood director Rakesh Roshan, Mamata Banerjee now claims that Indira Gandhi herself had reached the Moon!

In a speech aimed to commemorate India’s first journey to space during Indira Gandhi’s regime, Mamata Banerjee misspoke during an address at the Trinamool Chhatra Parishad Foundation Day rally, the student wing of the Trinamool Congress party. “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),” Banerjee declared.

The space mission in question, the Soyuz T-11, led by Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma along with five Soviet nationals, had no lunar objectives whatsoever. It was strictly an outer space mission! Banerjee’s remarks not only stir up a celestial controversy but also overshadow the monumental accomplishment of India’s Chandrayaan-3 mission.

Mamata Banerjee’s Lunar Blunder Eclipses Chandrayaan-3’s Historic Success. Photo courtesy of Chief Minister’s Office, Government of West Bengal/Wikimedia Commons.

India became the first country in the world to successfully land a Lander Module near the Moon’s south pole on August 23. This triggered nationwide celebrations and added another feather to the cap of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). With the Vikram Lander securely on the Moon, the Pragyan rover has begun its historic journey across the lunar surface, imprinting ISRO’s name and India’s national emblem on this celestial body.

This isn’t Mamata Banerjee’s first cosmic mistake. She previously grabbed headlines for confusing Rakesh Sharma with Rakesh Roshan, diluting the landmark achievements of ISRO and India’s Chandrayaan-3 mission. For a country that is celebrating a significant space milestone, Banerjee’s erroneous statements have left many astounded and have undoubtedly taken some shine off India’s space glory.