TMC MP Haque urges Bharat Ratna for Sunita Williams

New Delhi

Rajya Sabha TMC MP Mohammed Nadimul Haque on Wednesday urged the government to confer the Bharat Ratna on Indian-origin NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, who returned to Earth on March 18 after spending over nine months in space.

Speaking during Zero Hour, Haque highlighted Williams' achievements, stating that India has always celebrated her success. He called the Bharat Ratna the ultimate tribute to her remarkable contributions. He also noted that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had earlier supported this demand.

Haque emphasized that Williams' accomplishments bring pride to ISRO and that India has a history of building great institutions before 2014. He pointed out her strong Indian and Gujarati roots, mentioning that she was honored during her 2007 visit to India and awarded the Padma Bhushan by the central government. However, he alleged that the Gujarat government did not recognize her achievements at the time.

He also referred to Williams' recent statement about her desire to visit her father’s ancestral village in Mehsana, Gujarat, the same district as Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s hometown.

Haque’s speech included remarks about a late BJP leader, leading to objections from Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and BJP members. Deputy Chairman Harivansh later expunged the controversial parts from the records.

NASA astronauts Williams, Nick Hague, and Butch Wilmore, along with Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, returned last month after their Boeing Starliner mission was delayed due to technical issues.