Over 200 academics criticise Priyanka Gandhi over 'gaumutra' remark on IIT professor: 'Whether intended as sarcasm...'
More than 200 academicians have expressed “disappointment” to Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra over her “gaumutra” (urine) remark on IIT Madras Director V. Kamakoti, saying
More than 200 academicians have expressed “disappointment” to Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra over her “gaumutra” (urine) remark on IIT Madras Director V. Kamakoti, saying, "Whether intended as sarcasm or political rhetoric, such a characterisation raises concerns that go far beyond one individual." The Wayanad MP had made a veiled reference to the IIT Madras director as a “gaumutra visheshagya” or a “cow urine expert” during the discussion on the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday. Though she did not mention anyone by name, the comment was widely interpreted as being directed at Prof. Kamakoti, one of the six domain experts appointed to the panel tasked with reviewing the functioning of the Testing Agency (NTA) in the wake of the NEET paper leak controversy. “In this new committee, there is one e IB chief, one IT company owner, and one gaumutra expert!” Gandhi had said, while addressing the House.
Academicians urge dignified debate in Parliament In the open letter, the academicians said Parliament should remain a forum where ideas are debated with dignity and individuals are evaluated on the merit of their arguments rather than through caricatures. They said, "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." They added that “Mockery is no substitute for reasoned engagement.” Also Read | Student hacks IIT Kanpur and IIT Madras websites after being denied admission The letter, signed by 214 academicians, reads: "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.
Our scientists, scholars and educators deserve to know that they can participate in public debate without fear of being reduced to dismissive labels," they said in the three-page open letter. "Professor Kamakoti is the head of one of India's foremost scientific and technological institutions. He has M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Computer Science and Engineering from IIT Madras. He has published over 150 research papers and has been involved in more than 50 R&D projects. "He has several honours and accolades to his name, including the DRDO Academic Excellence Award and the Indian Electronics and Semiconductor Association Techno Visionary Award. He has been the guiding force behind India's first industry-grade microprocessor. Needless to say, he is one of the country's leading technology experts," the letter said. Prominent academicians sign the letter “Equally troubling is the message such remarks send to India's academic and research community.
The BriefWire