215 Academics Slam Priyanka Gandhi's 'Cow Urine' Remark On IIT Professor

New Delhi: Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's remarks on IIT Madras Director V Kamakoti, who is a member of the new task-force on exam reforms, has triggered an open letter from over 200 vice chancellors, former vice chancellors and academics, condemning her for undermining the academic credentials of a distinguished scientist."... We write to express our disappointment over your reported remark describing IIT Madras Director Professor V. Kamakoti as a 'gaumutra expert'. Whether intended as sarcasm or political rhetoric, such a characterization raises concerns that go far beyond one individual," the open letter 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. 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 over 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 top tech brains of the country," the letter said.Signed by 215 individuals, the open letter said history shows ideas once considered implausible eventually found scientific validation, while many widely accepted beliefs were later discarded."Equally troubling is the message such remarks send to India's academic and research community. Our scientists, scholars and educators deserve to know that they can participate in public debate without fear of being reduced to dismissive labels. Criticise their arguments, challenge their evidence, demand higher standards of proof, but do not diminish scholarship itself."Priyanka Gandhi made the remarks during her speech on The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, in Lok Sabha on Tuesday. Although she did not mention any name, her remarks were widely understood to be directed at Kamakoti.