Days after Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Deb sparked a massive controversy over his ‘internet during Mahabharat days’ remark, another BJP minister has claimed that IVF concept existed in times of Ramayana.
Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma today claimed that, ‘Sita ji was born from an earthen pot, which means at the time of Ramayana, a concept similar to test tube baby must have existed.’
As per the legend of Ramayana, Sita was born directly from the earth and found by King Janaka.
Addressing an event on the occasion of ‘Hindi Journalism Day’, Sharma also claimed that technology similar to ‘live telecast’ was available at the time of Mahabharata, through which the entire view of Kurukshetra was presented to Dhritarashtra in Hastinapur.
“Today, the live telecast is being done, but I think a similar technology was present at the time of Mahabharata, when Sanjay, sitting at Hastinapur presented a ‘live telecast’ of the battle of Mahabharata to Dhritarashtra,” the Deputy Chief Minister said.
Earlier, in April the Tripura Chief Minister had claimed that internet and satellites existed since the Mahabharata era.
In fact, despite widespread trolling and ridicule, Deb remained unfazed and said that ‘narrow minded people find it tough to believe this. They want to belittle their own nation and think highly of other countries.’
Reiterating his stand, Deb said, ‘Believe the truth. Don’t get confused and don’t confuse others.’
The comments were made a day after the Tripura Chief Minister on April 17 had claimed that the Internet and sophisticated satellite communication system existed in the days of Mahabharata, drawing criticism from various quarters.
In the Mahabharata, it has been mentioned that Sanjay gave a live relay of the war between the Pandavas and the Kauravas to the blind king Dhritarashtra, Deb had said at a regional workshop on public distribution system (PDS) computerisation and reforms.
“Communication was possible because our technology was sophisticated and developed during those times. We had the Internet and satellite communication system. It is not like the Internet or media wasn’t available in the age of Mahabharata,” the chief minister had said.
“I do not know what happened in the middle age though, between the Mahabharata era and now,” Deb had said.
Some European countries and the US claim that the modern communication system were their invention, but “we had all these technologies in ancient times”, he had claimed.
The CM said he was proud that he was born in a country which had the “best communication system” and “best culture” in the whole world.
“Modern technology and digitisation should be used to check corruption and protect secrecy in the administration,” he asserted, adding that his government will dedicatedly work to ensure welfare of the poor and backward people.
BJP leaders have often come up with bizarre theories about ancient India and Hindu traditions.
Union minister Satypal Sing had a few months ago debunked Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution, saying it was wrong and the changes need to reflect in the school and college curriculum.
“Nobody, including our ancestors, in written or oral, said they saw an ape turning into a man, the minister had said.
Prasanta Patnaik