Mamata Banerjee On Chandrayaan-2 Landing: Attempt To Divert Attention From Economic Disaster

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday lashed out at Modi government saying Chandrayaan-2 mission is being used to divert attention from economic disaster. “As if the Chandrayaan launch is the first in the country. As if before they came to power, no such missions were taken up. It is an attempt to divert attention from economic disaster,” Banerjee was quoted as saying by ANI.  

As India holds its breath for the historic soft landing of Chandrayaan-2 on Moon tonight, top scientists at ISRO will be closely monitoring the ‘most terrifying’ 15 minutes of the final phase of the lunar mission tonight. Travelling at the speed of 6 km per second, Chandrayaan-2 will begin its final descent on Moon sometime between 1:30 am and 2:30 am tonight.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with 70 students selected from schools across the country will also watch the epic touchdown at the Bengaluru-based headquarters of the Indian Space Research Organisation headquarters during post-midnight hours on Saturday.

Chandrayaan-2, India's second lunar mission, was successfully launched on July 22, 2019 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota on-board GSLV Mk-III. In Chandrayaan-2, a total of 13 payloads are distributed across the three modules where the Orbiter and Vikram Lander are stacked upon each other whereas the Pragyan Rover is housed inside the lander. The Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft weighs approximately 3290 kilograms. The cost of the mega-project is Rs 978 crore. 

The West Bengal chief minister also reiterated that she will not allow the implementation of NRC in the state.

Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress leadership has decided to hold mass protests across West Bengal on September 7 and 8 opposing NRC in neighbouring Assam, party sources said. The decision was taken at an emergency meeting at Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s residence on Monday afternoon.

It was decided that the mass protests would be held on this weekend against the National Register of Citizens and the divisive politics of BJP, the sources said.

On September 12 a protest rally will be organized in the city from Chiria More to Shyambazar in north Kolkata.  Banerjee, who is also the TMC supremo, is likely to be present in it, a senior party leader said.

“During the meeting Banerjee expressed concern over the future of 19 lakh plus people who have been left out of the final NRC list in Assam. She has asked party leaders to reach out to the people and explain to them about the sinister designs of BJP, such as the implementation of NRC if it ever comes to power in Bengal,” a Trinamool leader said.

The updated final NRC, which validates bonafide Indian citizens of Assam, was out on Saturday.

“Senior TMC leader and minister Firhad Hakim and the party’s Rajya Sabha deputy leader Sukhendu Sekhar Roy have been assigned to keep in touch with leaders of the north eastern states on NRC,” he said.

Trinamool Lok Sabha party leader Sudip Bandopadhyay has been assigned to keep in touch with leaders of other regional parties across the country on the issue, party sources said.

Reacting to Trinamool’s programme, West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh said if the saffron party comes to power in the 2021 assembly polls in Bengal it will pitch for NRC in the state.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Chandrayaan-2, India's second lunar mission, was successfully launched on July 22, 2019.
• The Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft weighs approximately 3290 kilograms. 
• The cost of the mega-project is Rs 978 crore.