Mamata writes to ISRO chairman expressing desire to felicitate team

Kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has written to the ISRO chairman expressing her desire to felicitate their entire team for the successful Chandrayaan-3 expedition. Banerjee wants to host a programme at Red Road in a similar manner as the felicitation of the UNESCO team that had played a key role in Bengal’s Durga Puja finding its place in UNESCO’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Immediately after the successful landing, Banerjee had written a letter to ISRO chairman S Somnath congratulating the team and the latter has also reverted thanking the Bengal Chief Minister.

Banerjee had separately sent letters congratulating the 28 team members of ISRO who hail from different parts of Bengal and had played a significant part in making the expedition successful.

However, Banerjee in his close ranks had expressed his apprehension about whether the ISRO scientists would be permitted to come to Bengal for the felicitation.

In September last year, Banerjee as a mark of thanksgiving on behalf of the state government handed over an earthen and a ‘dokhra’ idol of Goddess Durga to the representatives of UNESCO along with books written by her and Rabindra Nath Tagore at a programme on Red Road after leading a humongous rally to mark Durga Puja’s inclusion by UNESCO in its list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

In the foundation day programme of Trinamool Chhatra Parishad at Mayo Road on Monday afternoon, Banerjee raised the issue of felicitation of the ISRO team.