The Indian Science Congress Council has blacklisted Professor G. Nageswara Rao after he made 'controversial' claims about the Ancient Hindus' invention of stem cell research and dismissing Einstein discoveries.
The Indian Scientific Congress Association expressed “serious concern” while issuing a guideline for the next Science Congress as well. The guideline mentions if any speaker, in the upcoming years, makes suck claims in a Science Congress, he would have to appear before the Council to justify his claims.
“We had 100 Kauravas from one mother because of stem cell and test tube technology,” said G. Nageshwar Rao, vice chancellor at Andhra University, referring to a story from the Hindu epic Mahabharata.
Rao, who was addressing school children and scientists at the event, also said that Ravana, a demon king from another centuries-old Hindu epic had two dozen aircraft and a network of landing strips in modern-day Sri Lanka.
“Hindu Lord Vishnu used guided missiles known as ‘Vishnu Chakra’ and chased moving targets,” added the professor of inorganic chemistry.
Event organisers tried to hose down the remarks, saying it was “unfortunate” the prestigious event had been derailed by controversy.
“We don’t subscribe to their views and distance ourselves from their comments. This is unfortunate,” said Premendu P Mathur, general secretary of Indian Scientific Congress Association.
“There is a serious concern about such kind of utterances by responsible people.”