A parliament is a place where elected representatives discuss the various issues an economy is facing and make laws to govern it. In the past few months, MPs have tackled topics like the GDP growth rate, crimes against women and also passed the Citizenship Amendment Bill.
During these debates, some bizarre statements and claims have also been put forth that haven’t gone down well with the public at large. For instance, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s take on rising onion prices and MP Virendra Singh Mast denying a decline in automobile sales by citing traffic jams.
According to The Indian Express, when the Lok Sabha was going over the Sanskrit Central Universities Bill, 2019, Ganesh Singh (MP from Satna, Madhya Pradesh) cited alleged research conducted by a US-based academic institution to say that speaking in Sanskrit boosts our nervous system and prevents diabetes and cholesterol.
Speaking on The Central Sanskrit Universities Bill 2019. #Loksabha #WinterSession #शीतकालीनस pic.twitter.com/YaQKX27yYP
— Ganesh Singh (@GaneshSingh_in) December 12, 2019
The bill aims to convert three deemed Sanskrit universities (Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan, Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeeth and Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeeth) into central universities.
NDTV reports that the MP went on to say 97% of the languages in the world were derived from Sanskrit. He further quoted alleged research by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) saying if computer programming was done in this ancient language, it will be faultless.
Desi Twitter reacted to all this by saying, “this is beyond science.” Have a look.
Season 2 Episode 135 of Comedy Nights with BJP
— Rana (@ColJ_Rana) December 12, 2019
https://twitter.com/Brightstar_KC/status/1205174105349054466
"I think I have diabetes and high cholesterol."
Dr Ganesh Singh: "Have you tried Sanskrit?"*Later at the halwai*
"Modakum. Payasum. Jalebium. Samoswaha…."— Kajol Srinivasan (@LOLrakshak) December 13, 2019
https://twitter.com/ParadoxicalPari/status/1205344512916115457
My grandfather was a Sanskrit/Hindi teacher… Read Sanskrit everyday, in school and at home.. Suffered for diabetes for about 40 years. https://t.co/Ql6JzrBxoR
— Sumit Kashyap (@sumitkashyapjha) December 12, 2019
— Firas Durri (@firasd) December 12, 2019
— MŚ (@iamMayur_07) December 12, 2019
It is great to see steps being taken to revive Sanskrit and encourage the youth to study the subject but why do it by referencing such dubious reasons?