Priyanka Gandhi vs Anurag Thakur over 'gau mutra' remark against IIT director

A war of words broke out in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday after Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra mocked a member of the Centre's education reform panel as a "gau mutra (cow urine) expert", prompting BJP MP Anurag Thakur to accuse her of insulting one of India's leading scientists and retort that she and Rahul Gandhi should "consume cow urine".The clash unfolded during the debate on the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, with the two leaders trading barbs over paper leaks, student protests and the committee constituted to reform the examination system. Without naming him directly, Priyanka Gandhi questioned the inclusion of IIT Madras Director Prof V Kamakoti in the Nandan Nilekani-led committee, referring to his past remarks on the purported medicinal properties of cow urine."Not a single recommendation of the Radhakrishnan Committee has been implemented till date. Meanwhile, the new committee includes a former IB chief, an IT company owner and even a 'gau mutra' expert," she said. Arguing that committees alone could not fix the education system, Priyanka Gandhi said meaningful reforms required wider consultation with all stakeholders.ANURAG THAKUR'S COUNTER-ATTACKResponding to her remarks, Anurag Thakur strongly defended Prof Kamakoti, describing him as one of India's foremost scientists and academics. He said the IIT Madras Director also chaired the Prime Minister's Advisory AI Task Force and added that there was nothing wrong with his association with the RSS. Accusing the Congress of repeatedly mocking India's culture and traditions, Thakur said, "I thought Priyanka Gandhi ji would be better than Rahul Gandhi ji and would be slightly better than her brother. At least, she used to smile. But after the remarks she made today about Prof Kamakoti, I feel that the brother and sister are on the same path. Perhaps they are consuming something that affects the proper functioning of the brain. Maybe they should consume cow urine instead."The former Union minister said the Gandhi family had consistently looked down upon India's scientists, culture and traditional knowledge systems.He further claimed that Prof Kamakoti's academic credentials surpassed those of the entire Gandhi family and argued that there was no contradiction between being an expert in artificial intelligence and researching India's traditional knowledge systems.PRIYANKA GANDHI TARGETS MODI GOVTMeanwhile, beyond the row over her 'gau mutra' comment, the Congress MP launched a blistering attack on the Centre in the Lok Sabha, questioning the use of force against students protesting over alleged exam irregularities and demanding to know who ordered the crackdown.She accused the government of treating students like terrorists and directly questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the police action."What was the need to fire tear gas shells, lathi-charge students, use water cannons, pellet guns and AK-47s against them? Were they terrorists?" she asked.The Wayanad MP also took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying he needed to change his "dil ka angle", not his camera angle, if he wanted to connect with Gen Z. The remark was an apparent reference to the Prime Minister's recent selfie videos in which he addressed Gen Z students. - EndsPublished By: Aprameya RaoPublished On: Jul 28, 2026 23:34 IST