West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Mamata Banerjee unintentionally set off a social media trend for filmmaker Rakesh Roshan due to a gaffe in her speech praising the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and its Chandrayaan-3 mission’s historic achievement of landing on the Moon’s south pole.
During a public event, Banerjee delivered a congratulatory message that included a mix-up of names. She stated, “Amaar mone ache chaand er matite jokhon tara pouche chilen, Indira Gandhi jiggesh korechilen Rakesh Roshan kay, u Udhar se kaise lag raha hian, aasman se kaise laag raja hain, mahakash se India ko?” (I remember, when they landed on the moon, PM Indira Gandhi had asked Rakesh Roshan [sic] that how does India look from there, how does it look from space)” The video can be seen here-
Thank you Mamata didi,
Under the able leadership of #MamataBanerjee congratulations to #RakeshRoshan on becoming the first Indian cosmonaut.#Chandrayaan3 #Mamata #Vikramlanding #PragyanRover pic.twitter.com/pg1t5Wlj7S
— Oxomiya Jiyori 🇮🇳(Modi’s Family) (@SouleFacts) August 24, 2023
Social media users were quick to catch the mistake, leading to a flurry of memes and discussions. Netizens humorously pointed out that it was actually Rakesh Sharma, the first Indian to travel to space, who had the conversation with Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Furthermore, Sharma’s interaction was from space, not from the moon. Some of the memes can be seen here-
Rakesh Roshan announces immediate retirement from Film Industry
Will venture into Space pic.twitter.com/g4bmK26XPN
— Flt Lt Anoop Verma (Retd.) 🇮🇳 (@FltLtAnoopVerma) August 24, 2023
As Per Mamta didi 😏😭👇🏽 #RakeshRoshan 🥴#Chandrayaan3Landing 🇮🇳👏🏽 pic.twitter.com/J77uQ08psm
— PHOENIX 🇺🇸🇮🇳 (@PHOENIX21PHOTON) August 24, 2023
The blunder not only garnered attention for CM Mamata Banerjee but also catapulted filmmaker Rakesh Roshan to trend on social media platforms. Memes surfaced with Rakesh Roshan’s face playfully superimposed onto an astronaut’s suit.
Mamata Banerjee had expressed pride in India’s scientific and technological progress regarding Chandrayaan-3’s success. She posted on X (formerly Twitter), “Hail Chandrayaan-3! Hail its stupendous success!! Hail ISRO!! Hail our nation’s magnificent achievement in sending an exploration mission successfully to the Moon!!”
The Chandrayaan-3 lander module’s successful landing on the moon’s South Pole marked a historic achievement, positioning India as the first country to accomplish this feat. Despite the mix-up, Banerjee’s message conveyed enthusiasm for India’s progress in space exploration and garnered widespread attention on social media.