Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank. Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank.

Emphasising that India’s “knowledge and science do not lack anything”, former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, who is now a BJP MP, claimed on Wednesday that an ancient sage, Kanad, who is believed to have lived around the 2nd century BC, had conducted a nuclear test during his time.

Participating in a debate in the Lok Sabha, Nishank said, “Today we are talking about nuclear tests. Lakhs of years ago, Sage Kanad had conducted a nuclear test. Our knowledge and science do not lack anything.”

Nishank also echoed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s earlier remarks citing “plastic surgery” and “genetic science” to explain the creation of Lord Ganesh and Karna respectively.

“People are raising questions on Modiji’s comments on Ganesh’s surgery. It was actually a surgery. The science available to us is not available elsewhere in the world… science or knowledge to transplant a severed head existed only in India,” claimed Nishank.

“Jyotish is a science to make calculations lakhs of years in advance. All other sciences have been dwarfed by our ancient astrologers. Astrology is the number one science for the entire world. We should promote the science… I want to say that astrology is the topmost science in the world,” said Nishank.

While the Left MPs protested against his comments on astrology, BJP MP said there should be a “ proper discussion on it and it should get the respect it deserves.”

Meanwhile, Nishank’s comments on Jawaharlal Nehru left the Congress MPs happy. “One should read Nehru’s Discovery of India. He has emphasised on our tradition, culture and beliefs, and has said that the country can move forward on the basis of these,” he said.

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