BJP MP Satya Pal Says ‘We Are Children of Rishis,’ Stirs Row in LS

The Lok Sabha on Friday, 19 July witnessed a war of words after a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Minister Satya Pal Singh made controversial statements doubting Darwin's theory of evolution, saying that Indians were descendants of Rishis (sages) instead of monkeys.

What followed was a howl of protests from the Opposition benches, especially, by Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mahua Moitra and and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) MP Muthuvel Karunanidhi Kanimozhi who raised the issue of 'scientific temperament.'

The argument took place when the Lok Sabha passed the Protection of Human Rights (Amendment) Bill 2019.

‘No Offence but Our Culture Says So’

"The Indian culture does not give importance to human rights and does not have the concept of human rights workers. Our culture says that we are the children of Rishis. I don't want to offend people who believe that we are children of monkeys but according to our culture we are children of Rishis,” said Singh, who was an education minister in the previous BJP-led government.

First-time MP Moitra who had made quite an impression with her maiden speech in the parliament, immediately stood up and reacted to Singh's incorrect remarks.

"Next you’ll say, ‘My mother is a cow!’" shouted Moitra in the background.

Singh, who represents the Baghpat constituency, retorted instantly and said, "Only people who do not know the worth of human rights workers will interrupt me."

Singh did not stop there. He then said, “There’s no need for human rights in our culture as we need to focus on being honest good righteous people. We need to treat people the way we want to be treated. We need to treat all humans with respect. These are the ideals of our culture.”

The former Union minister also lashed out at non-profits and activists and accused them of being "financed by foreign organisations" and for "supporting terrorists, anti-nationals and rapists." He said that the government at the Centre is committed to protecting the human rights of those who deserved it.

As Science Says, My Ancestors are Homo Sapiens: Kanimozhi

In a sharp retort, Kanimozhi said that a scientific temper was important for the sake of protecting human rights.

“Unfortunately, my ancestors are not Rishis. My ancestors are homo sapiens, as science says, and my parents are Shudras.”

Karunanidhi Kanimozhi , DMK MP

"They were not even born of any god, or part of any god. They were born outside and I am here and many people from my state are here because of the social justice movement and the human rights which we fought for till today and we would continue doing that," she added.

The Protection of Human Rights (Amendment) Bill 2019 was passed in the Lower House after several Opposition MPs objected to it and said that it contained many loopholes and was not in accordance to the Paris principles. The law entails changes to the constitution of the National Human Rights Commission and related state rights bodies.

Not Singh’s First Time

The BJP MP from Baghpat in Uttar Pradesh had earlier too rejected Darwin's theory and termed it "scientifically wrong."

When he was the Minister of State for Human Resource Department (HRD), he had said that he does not consider himself a descendant of monkeys.

Earlier, Singh had also emphasised the need to change school and college curriculum teaching Darwin’s theory of evolution.

(With inputs from PTI, NDTV)