KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee made a faux pas on Wednesday by repeatedly mentioning Abhijit Banerjee, the Nobel Prize winner in economics this year, as 'Abhishek Babu'.
Abhishek (Banerjee) is the name of her nephew and Trinamool Congress MP, while 'Babu' is an honorific.
The chief minister, who was speaking to newsmen after a cabinet meeting, said "From Bengal there are people like Amartya Sen, Mother Teresa who had bagged the Nobel (Prize) earlier. Now that Abhishek (read Abhijit) Babu has got it, it is a matter of pride for entire Bengal."
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Mamata continued by saying that "Abhishek Babu's mother is here (in Kolkata) ...I'm going to his house to meet her today."
Banerjee also heaped praise on former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly for being unanimously elected as the BCCI president calling him 'ghorer chele', which in Bengali would mean a family member.
"Earlier there was Jagmohan Dalmiya and now that Sourav Ganguly got this chance at this (young) age...Its a matter for pride for West Bengal." Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said.