india

Updated: Jul 05, 2017 20:54 IST

India should take inspiration from North Korea to develop its nuclear energy, Karnataka governor Vajubhai Rudabhai Vala said on Wednesday, stirring a controversy as the autocratic country runs a rogue atomic programme and the regime is the worst human rights violator.

He was speaking at the convocation of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), one of India’s premier science colleges, where President Pranab Mukherjee was also present.

“All the students present here can also pull of such feats. We will take inspiration from Israel; we will take inspiration from Japan … North Korea, which is moving ahead in atomic energy, we will even take inspiration from them,” said Vala, a Gujarat BJP leader who was appointed governor in 2014.

His remarks were in context with the Indian Space Research Organisation successfully launching 104 satellites in February.

Vala lauded scientist CNR Rao, who heads the scientific advisory council to the Prime Minister, for his contributions to chemistry and his humility.

But his speech was overshadowed by his North Korea remarks.

The former Gujarat cabinet minister and assembly speaker is no stranger to controversy since he took over as the southern state’s governor. In 2015, he was panned for addressing a joint sitting of the legislature in Hindi, the first governor to so in a state where the primary language is Kannada.

For his part, President Mukherjee asked the new graduates and students of IIS to take a pledge that no matter what they do, they should work towards making the world a better place.

“We confront many challenges today both global and local: poverty, climate change, disease, to name a few. It is up to you … to be soldiers on the frontlines of these battles,” he said.