WB Guv Jagdeep Dhankhar Criticised For Arjuna-Atomic Power Remark

WB Guv Jagdeep Dhankar receives flak for claims that arrows of Arjuna in Mahabharata had atomic powers.

File image of West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar.

(Photo: PTI)

The arrows of Mahabharata's Arjuna had atomic power, claimed West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar, drawing sharp criticism from academicians, even as he joined a long list of politicians who have in recent years given bizarre interpretations linking mythology with science.

Speaking at the 45th Eastern India Science Fair and 19th Science and Engineering Fair on Tuesday, Dhankhar also claimed that flying objects existed during the period of Ramayana.

“It is said that the plane was invented in 1910 or 1911, but if we delve into our old scriptures we will see in Ramayana, we had ‘uran khatola’.” 

West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar

"Sanjaya narrated the entire war of Mahabharata (to Dhritarashtra) not from TV. The arrows of Arjuna in Mahabharata had atomic power in it," Dhankhar said, asserting that the world can no longer afford to ignore India, as reported by PTI.

According to Sanskrit epic Mahabharata, Sanjay, even after staying away from the battlefield, had narrated what was happening there to Dhritarashtra, who was blind.

Dhankhar, who has been in news for clashes with the Mamata Banerjee government ever since he assumed office in July last year, joins politicians such as Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Deb and UP deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma to give odd interpretations of the role of science in mythology.

While Deb had claimed that the internet existed during Mahabharata, Sharma suggested that goddess Sita was a test tube baby.

Recently, Puducherry Lt Governor Kiran Bedi was called out online for sharing a doctored video that claimed, “NASA recorded sound of sun – Sun chants Om”.

Academicians and Scientists Slam Dhankar for Merging Religion and Ideology

This is not an isolated incident where BJP leaders have been at the fag end of receiving flak for making statements that lack any scientific basis. Statements coalescing religion to science to exalt it have often been passed by them, which have been torn apart owing to lack of considerable evidence to back it.

Indologist Nrisingha Prasad Bhaduri said governors appointed by the BJP government at the Centre are delving into everything and behave "as if they are know-alls".

“They fail to understand one thing that great writers have very strong power of imagination,” Bhaduri said.

Scientist Sandip Chakraborty said such comments only hurt the scientific progress in India at the global forum.

"The ancient writers described all these things based on their imagination. It is true that India made a lot of progress during the ancient period, but such comments only damages the progress made by our scientific community," he said.

With inputs from ANI and PTI