As India prepares for its second moon mission, Chandrayaan2, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has dismissed the launch as a government tactic to divert attention from the country’s “economic disaster.”
Speaking at the Bengal Assembly on Friday, Banerjee said, “As if the Chandrayaan-2 launch is the first in the country. As if before they came to power, no such missions were launched."
Banerjee's statement hours ahead of Chandaryaan2 preparing to touch down on the lunar surface attracted criticism on social media.
Twitter users criticised her for making negative statements at a proud moment in Indian history.
Others said that the world was looking up to India for its achievement.
Indian will become the first country to conduct a soft-landing in the unexplored south polar region of the moon. The landing will be broadcast live across over 100 countries.