Union minister Satyapal Singh was at the receiving end of several leading scientists’ ire after his remark on Charles Darwin's theory of evolution being "scientifically wrong” while speaking to reporters in Aurangabad on 19 January.
Singh, the Minister of State for Human Resource Development, said our ancestors have nowhere mentioned that they saw an ape turning into a man.
“Darwin’s theory (of evolution of humans) is scientifically wrong. It needs to change in the school and college curriculum. Since the man is seen on Earth he has always been a man,” he said.
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In light of the bizarre statement by the minister, it is time to reflect on what BJP leaders have said in the past. Many of them have exhibited a knack for linking all progress to vedic science, or for that matter, the miracles of cow urine besides any rationale.
At a session on the “scientific importance” of the cow and its dung at the Hingonia Cow Rehabilitation Centre on 17 January 2017, Rajasthan’s education minister claimed that “cows inhale and exhale oxygen” to prove the extent of its importance. Truth is, livestock contributes a lot to greenhouse gases.
In fact, the 102nd edition of the Indian Science Congress, held in 2015, inaugurated by none other than Prime Minister Narendra Modi dabbled more heavily on “mythical” aeroplanes and cosmetic surgery than actual science.
Here’s a video of the outrageous claims made by some of the BJP leaders:
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