Kolkata: Days after mistakenly referring to Indian astronaut Rakesh Sharma as filmmaker Rakesh Roshan, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday made another bizarre statement where she claimed that former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi went to the Moon.

She made the comments while addressing a rally on the Trinamool Chhatra Parishad

Recalling India’s first trip to space during Indira Gandhi’s government, Mamata Banerjee said, “When Indira Gandhi reached the Moon, she asked Rakesh that how does Hindustan (India) looks from there. He replied ‘Saare jahaan se achcha’ (The best in the world).”

She made the comments while addressing a rally on the Trinamool Chhatra Parishad (TMCP) Foundation Day, 2023.

Earlier, Mamata Banerjee was criticised for referring to Rakesh Sharma as Rakesh Roshan while lauding the ISRO scientists for the success of the Chandrayaan-3 mission.

India, on August 23, scripted history as ISRO’s ambitious third Moon mission Chandrayaan-3’s Lander Module (LM) touched down on the lunar surface, making it only the fourth country to accomplish the feat, and the first to reach the uncharted South Pole of Earth’s only natural satellite.

Three days after the successful landing of Chandrayaan-3 on the Moon, ISRO released footage of the Pragyan rover exploring the Moon’s South Pole. The Pragyan rover was deployed from the Vikram lander a day after the landing, and it commenced the exploration of the lunar surface, navigating lunar rocks and craters.