HighLights
  1. Academics object to Priyanka Gandhi's 'cow urine expert' remark.
  2. IIT Madras Director V Kamakoti was target of the jibe.
  3. Letter highlights concerns over undermining scientific temper.

Cow Urine Expert Row: Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's reference to IIT Madras Director V Kamakoti as a cow urine expert (Gau Mutra Visheshagya) drew ire from a section of the country's education community. Over 200 academics from across the country wrote an open letter to Priyanka expressing their displeasure.

Kamakoti, a Padma awardee, is a member of the six-member task force on exam reforms constituted by the Centre after the NEET paper leak row.

More than 200 academicians, in an open letter to the Congress leader, objected to her ''gau mutra expert'' remark targeting the IIT Madras Director. According to the 215 academicians who signed the letter, including vice-chancellors and former vice-chancellors, mockery cannot be a substitute for reasoned engagement.

Such A Characterisation Raises Concerns: Academicians

"We write to express our disappointment over your reported remark describing IIT Madras Director Professor V Kamakoti as a ''gaumutra expert''. Whether intended as sarcasm or political rhetoric, such a characterisation raises concerns that go far beyond one individual. Professor Kamakoti is the head of one of India''s foremost scientific and technological institutions," the letter said.

"Like every academic, he is entitled to present hypotheses, discuss traditional knowledge and participate in scientific conversations. To dismiss a scholar through a label rather than engage with the substance of his views risks undermining the very scientific temper that our Constitution calls upon every citizen to develop," the letter further read.

"Scientific temper is not merely scepticism towards unconventional ideas; it is equally the willingness to examine claims objectively before accepting or rejecting them," it said.

What Did Priyanka Say In Her Comment?

Speaking in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, Priyanka had said, "He needs (the prime minister) to understand that merely setting up new committees will not work.

"Not a single recommendation of the Radhakrishnan Committee has been implemented to date. Meanwhile, the new committee includes a former IB chief, an IT company owner, and even a ''gau mutra'' expert," she added.
(With PTI inputs)


Also In News