Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi

New Delhi, Apr 2: Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mohammed Nadimul Haque on Wednesday urged the government to confer Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award, on Indian-origin NASA astronaut Sunita Williams. Raising the demand during Zero Hour in the Rajya Sabha, Haque highlighted her remarkable achievements and deep-rooted Indian connections, stating that honoring her would be the ‘ultimate celebration’ of her success.

He also mentioned that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had earlier made a similar demand. Williams, who was born to an Indian father from Mehsana, Gujarat, recently returned to Earth on March 18 after a prolonged nine-month stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

However, Haque's speech took a controversial turn when he made remarks about a late BJP leader from Gujarat, drawing strong objections from finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman and BJP members. Sitharaman criticized Haque for bringing unrelated issues and casting aspersions on leaders who were no longer alive. Following her intervention, deputy chairman Harivansh directed that the ‘irrelevant portions’ of Haque’s speech be expunged from records.

Williams, along with NASA astronauts Nick Hague and Butch Wilmore, as well as Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, returned aboard SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft, which splashed down off the Florida coast last month. Initially scheduled for just eight days, her mission extended to over nine months due to technical issues with Boeing's Starliner capsule.