Union MoS Satya Pal Singh at it Again: 'Dream of India Where President Takes Oath on Vedas'

New Delhi, October 25: Union Minister of State for HRD, Satya Pal Singh on Thursday stoked another controversy, saying that he desires for an India where all constitutional figures, including the President, takes oath on Vedas. Singh cited the precedence set by the United States of America where the President takes oath on the Bible.

The contentious remarks were made by the Minister while addressing a a four-day global convention of the Arya Samaj. I am not child of Monkey! Union Minister Satyapal Singh Discards Darwin's Theory Once Again.

"We have seen that the US president swears the oath of office on the Bible... I dream about an India where the president takes the oath with the Vedas (Hindu religious texts) in one hand," he was quoted as saying by PTI.

Singh further said that India would "have to return to Vedas" for restoring its "lost pride". To all the issues being faced by the citizens, "rishi gyan" or the teachings of sages is a solution, he added.

Singh, a BJP leader and retired IPS officer, had stoked a controversy earlier in the year by claiming that he doubts the theory of evolution proposed by Darwin.

"Nobody, including our ancestors, in written or oral, have said they saw an ape turning into a man.... Humans appeared on Earth as humans from the very beginning," he had said. A week later, Singh claimed that the laws of motion were codified in "mantras" -- way before Isaac Newton discovered them.

His remarks had drawn widespread flak, reportedly forcing Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar to ask him not make such statements and leave science to the domain of scientists.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 25, 2018 10:53 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).