'Sare jahan se achha': Mamata takes a stroll down memory lane as she mocks Modi's TV address

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Thursday that she was a student when former prime minister Indira Gandhi sent Indian Air Force pilot Rakesh Sharma to space in 1980. And from the spacecraft, Banerjee said, Sharma had a telephonic conversation with Gandhi.

"Indira ji asked Sharma, 'Rakesh how the world looks like from space?' Rakesh said sare jahan se achha Hindustan hamara," said Banerjee while addressing the non-Bengali community in Kolkata to mark Holi. 

Sharma was the first Indian to travel in space.

The chief minister was talking about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's unexpected televised address to the nation on India's test of its anti-satellite (ASAT) missile on Wednesday. "There was a heavy cloud all over. But no rain," she said.

She also rebuked Union finance minister Arun Jaitley, who reportedly has a very good relation with her, for prefixing chowkidar with his name on Twitter.

"Can you imagine the finance minister of the country calling himself chawkidar? I am not disregarding chowkidar community. But I cannot accept the act of the finance minister of the country," said Banerjee.

The chief minister also lambasted the Bharatiya Janata Party for calling her pro-Muslim.

"Do they know the Hindu mantras as much as I know? Can they compete with me? I participate in all religious festivals. But when I celebrate a Muslim festival, they have a problem. I don't care," said the chief minister.

Banerjee had earlier also challenged Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah to compete with her in chanting Sanskrit mantras.

Meanwhile, the election commission on Thursday changed the chief police observer for West Bengal and Jharkhand after the Trinamool Congress charged him with being "close to RSS".

K.K. Sharma, who was the BSF DG last year, had attended a programme organised by Seemanta Chetana Manch, an outfit affiliated to the RSS, in Kolkata.

Vivek Dube, a 1981 IPS officer, who had played a key role as the CBI officer in probing the Gujarat riots and in the extradition of Aftab Ansari, the mastermind of the American Centre attack in Kolkata, would replace Sharma. Sharma has been shifted to Andhra Pradesh and Telengana.