'Sunita Williams Should Be Conferred With Bharat Ratna,' Says West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee

Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said astronaut Sunita Williams should be conferred with Bharat Ratna for the challenges she faced while spending nearly nine months in space.

Speaking at the Assembly, Banerjee congratulated the rescue team, praising their commendable efforts in bringing the astronauts back to Earth.

"The West Bengal Assembly would like to thank the team for rescuing Williams and another astronaut who were stranded in space for several months. I congratulate them, as well as Sunita Williams. I think she should be honoured with Bharat Ratna," Banerjee told the House.

The CM said she had been closely monitoring the situation and was deeply concerned.

"I’m interested in space science and have been following the developments through various sources of information. I kept track of the situation daily and took regular updates," she said.

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams returned to Earth on Tuesday after a nine-month stay at the space station.

Originally planned as an eight-day mission, their time in space was extended due to a technical glitch in their spacecraft.

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