Mamata commits gaffe, lauds 'Abhishek Babu' as Nobel Prize winner

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday made a gaffe by repeatedly talking about Nobel Prize laureate Abhijit Banerjee, as 'Abhishek Babu'.

In an apparent slip of tongue, Mamata on Wednesday congratulated Abhijit Banerjee by mentioning him as 'Abhishek Babu'.

"In West Bengal, there are people like Amartya Sen, Mother Teresa who have won the Nobel Prize and now Abhishek Babu (referring to Abhijit Banerjee) has also got a Nobel Prize. Sourav Ganguly got the opportunity (BCCI President post). Bengal is proud and is moving forward," said Mamata while speaking to reporters.

Reportedly, she repeated the same name, 'Abhishek Babu', while informing the reporters about her plan to meet the Nobel laureate's mother.

Abhijit Banerjee, an Indian-origin economist, and the academic professor was jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences. He won the coveted award along with his French-American wife Esther Duflo and American economist Michael Kremer "for their experimental approach to alleviating global poverty."

On Monday, Ganguly also filed his nomination for the post of BCCI president in Mumbai.

Mamata met the family members of Abhijit Banerjee at their residence in Kolkata on Wednesday.

"If more people like Abhijit Banerjee continue their work for the society, we will be happy," the Chief Minister said after meeting the family.