Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu and the Kerala unit of the Congress have sparred on X after the latter took a swipe at IIT Madras director V Kamakoti's selection for the Padma Shri honour and Vembu hit back.
V Kamakoti, who has been serving as the director of IIT Madras since 2022, has been chosen for the Padma honour for his contribution to education and research.
"The Padma Shri award means only one thing to me, that I will put the best efforts towards Viksit Bharat 2047. This award is not possible as an individual; it's a collective effort," he said in a statement.
In a sharp response, the Congress' Kerala unit posted, "Congratulations to V Kamakoti on receiving the honour. The nation recognises your bleeding edge research on Cow Urine at IIT Madras, taking Gomutra to world stage."
The post referred to the IIT Madras director's remarks that made headlines last year. He had said that 'Gaumutra', or cow urine, has "anti-bacterial" and "anti-fungal" properties, and can heal a variety of illnesses, including IBS, or Irritable Bowel Syndrome. The remarks had sparked a row, with many questioning why a man responsible for propagating scientific temperament should make such remarks. To this, the Professor had replied that the "anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties of cow urine have been scientifically demonstrated".
Following Kerala Congress's swipe, Vembu responded, "Professor Kamakoti works in deep tech: micro-processor design. He is the Director of IIT-Madras, the best technological institution in India. He serves in the NSAB. He richly deserves the honour."
The Zoho founder said he would continue to defend the IIT Madras director on scientific grounds. "I have defended him on scientific grounds and I will do so again: cow dung and cow urine have excellent microbiome that could be valuable for humans."
"It is the slavish colonial mindset that thinks these are not scientific propositions worthy of investigation. Some day, when Harvard or MIT publish a study on this, these enslaved minds would worship that as the gospel truth," Vembu added.
The Congress' Kerala unit responded, "Research is not about quoting random Western research papers out of context. What is the outcome of all this research on cow dung and urine? And why are we limited only to cow dung? What about the excreta of buffaloes, goats, or even humans?"
"Recently, the outcome of one such cow dung research project came out in public. The Madhya Pradesh government funded a research project using Panchagavya, a traditional mixture made from cow dung, cow urine, milk, curd, and ghee, for the treatment of cancer.
"An investigation by Additional Collector Raghuvar Maravi exposed that a whopping Rs 1.92 Cr was spent on buying cow dung and urine for the research, whereas the actual cost is around Rs 15-20 lakhs. The total allocation for the project was Rs 3.5 Cr, and the remaining money was spent on buying cars, filling petrol and diesel, and even Goa and Bangalore trips. What is the outcome of the research?"
The Congress claimed that more scandals will come out if similar projects are investigated.
"There is no doubt that we need cancer research. But why do you insist that it is only cow dung or cow urine that can cure cancer? We saw during COVID how fraudsters were trying to kill the virus using cow dung and gomutra. What was the outcome?" it said.
The Congress then dared Vembu to invest in cow urine research.
"Since you are a billionaire who believes in the magical benefits of cow urine, why doesn't your company invest in proper cow urine and cow dung research? If cow urine can help in healing cancer, that would be one of our greatest contributions to the world. Why don't you take up this challenge and put the money where your mouth is?"
