Mantras codified laws of motion before Newton: HRD Minister Satyapal

The junior HRD minister, Satyapal Singh, has courted another controversy with his comment that 'mantras' had codified laws of motion before Isaac Newton, even as he sought to clarify his earlier remarks on Darwin's theory that had raised eyebrows, saying it was his "personal opinion".

At a meeting of the Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE) which was chaired by Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar, the IPS-turned-politician said that "certain 'mantras' codified the laws of motion much before they were discovered by Isaac Newton, according to the minutes of the meeting held in January.

Singh had also suggested that Vaastu compliance of educational buildings was important for learning.

CABE is the governments highest advisory body for policy making in education.

"Whatever I had said on Darwin was my personal opinion. It has nothing to do with the government or party's line," the minister said at the National Science Day event here on Wednesday.

He, however, refused to comment on the controversy over his Newton remarks.

Singh had drawn flak in January when he claimed that Darwin's theory of evolution was incorrect and should not be taught in schools and colleges.

Nobody, including our ancestors, in written or oral, have said they saw an ape turning into a man.... Humans appeared on Earth as humans from the very beginning, he had said at an event in Aurangabad.

Javadekar had asked Singh to refrain from making such comments and leave the science to scientists as it is their domain.