New Delhi: Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s description of a member of the government’s education reform panel as a “Gaumutra expert” during her speech on The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, in Lok Sabha has triggered a political debate.
Critics are arguing that the remark sought to undermine the academic credentials of a distinguished scientist.
Although Priyanka Gandhi did not mention him by name, her remarks were widely understood to be directed at Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director of IIT Madras and one of the six domain experts appointed to a multidisciplinary panel tasked with overhauling the National Testing Agency (NTA) in the wake of the NEET paper leak controversy.
Members of Parliament from the ruling benches strongly objected to Priyanka Gandhi’s remarks.
Questioning the composition of the task force, Priyanka referred to a “Gaumutra expert” while being critical of the government’s approach to education reforms. The remark was seen as a reference to comments made by Prof. Kamakoti at a public event, where he spoke about the alleged medicinal properties of cow urine in the context of indigenous knowledge systems and organic farming.
Analysts contend that reducing Prof. Kamakoti to a “Gaumutra expert” overlooks his extensive academic and scientific accomplishments.
A computer scientist of international repute, Kamakoti earned both his M.S. and PhD in Computer Science and Engineering from IIT Madras before joining the institute’s faculty in 2001. He became Director of IIT Madras in January 2022.
His expertise spans computer architecture, information security and VLSI design. He heads the Microprocessor Development Programme and the Information Security Education and Awareness Programme at IIT Madras and is a member of the National Security Advisory Board. He also chaired the Artificial Intelligence Task Force constituted by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
Prof. Kamakoti has authored more than 150 research papers, supervised numerous doctoral scholars and led nearly 50 industry and government-funded research projects. He serves on technology committees of the Reserve Bank of India and the National Stock Exchange and has received several prestigious honours, including the DRDO Academic Excellence Award, Abdul Kalam Technology Innovation National Fellowship, IBM Faculty Award and the VASVIK Industrial Research Award.
BJP leaders argue that Priyanka Gandhi’s remark attempts to define an accomplished academic by one controversial statement, while ignoring decades of contributions to computer science, national security and technological innovation.
(IANS)
