‘Gau mutra expert’: Priyanka Gandhi’s jibe at IIT Madras director on NTA reform panel

Follow TNM's WhatsApp channel for news updates and story links.Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra questioned the police violence on young protesters at Jantar Mantra in Delhi on July 20, asking if they were “terrorists”. She also slammed the appointment of  V Kamakoti, director of Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, on the multidisciplinary panel tasked with revamping the National Testing Agency (NTA) following the protests over the NEET paper leak. Priyanka referred to Kamakoti as a ‘gau mutra expert’ while speaking in the Lok Sabha on July 28. The Congress MP’s snub comes two days after the BJP-led Union government appointed a six-member task force led by Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani, in response to student protests across India against irregularities in NEET, the medical entrance exam.Priyanka Gandhi said that simply forming new committees won't work. She said that the Union government was yet to implement the recommendations of the K Radhakrishnan Committee formed after a similar NEET paper leak controversy in 2024. “The present committee has an ex-Intelligence Bureau chief (Tapan Deka), an IT company owner (Nandan Nilekani), and a ‘gaumutra expert’ (Kamakoti). What do they know about education?” Priyanka asked. The controversy surrounding Kamakoti dates back to January 2025, when he addressed a Maatu Pongal event at a cow shelter in Chennai. During his speech, he highlighted the importance of indigenous cattle breeds and organic farming practices. He also stated that cow urine possesses antibacterial, antifungal, and digestive properties, and recounted an anecdote about an ascetic whose fever purportedly subsided after consuming it.Following his comments, the IIT M director was subjected to criticism from the scientific community, forcing him to state that he had referred to published studies while discussing the subject. Kamakoti's academic and professional background lies in engineering and technology. He completed both his master's and doctoral degrees in Computer Science and Engineering at IIT Madras before joining the institute's faculty in 2001. Priyanka Gandhi also slammed the Union government for the police violence against student protesters on July 20, including the use of pellet guns. “Who gave the orders to shoot at them? Was it the Prime Minister or the Home Minister? The entire country is asking,” she said and asked, “Why are you afraid of the country’s youth? Who gave you the right to suppress their voice?”“What was the need to use tear gas, lathi charge and water cannons on those students? What was the need to humiliate those young girls, tear their clothes and have them beaten mercilessly? Answer us,” she said. Priyanka Gandhi also slammed the way Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders welcomed Dharmendra Pradhan to the Parliament after his resignation as Union Education Minister, on the demand of the protesters. “The Education Minister resigned in shameful circumstances. But yesterday, he was welcomed to Parliament like he was a superstar. They should have been ashamed. Instead, he was shamelessly welcomed with garlands,” she said. She also questioned the appointment of Pralhad Joshi as the new Education Minister, saying, “PM Modi chose a new Education Minister who condoned the rapists of a pregnant woman. What message does the PM want to send to the women of this country?”In 2022, after the premature release of 11 men serving life sentences in the Bilkis Bano gangrape case, Pralhad Joshi had defended the decision, saying it had been taken “as per the legal provision”. He told The Indian Express that remission was granted in accordance with the law after the convicts had completed the required period in prison.She said that those advising PM Modi had lost touch with reality. “PM Modi and his associates are not understanding the truth. They still think PR, narrative change and lapdog media will help them,” Priyanka said.  “If you want to win the trust of Gen Z, making videos on your phone at different angles won’t work. The Prime Minister will have to change the angle of his heart, not the camera angle. This generation is aware. They are capable of detecting lies. To win their hearts and minds, you will have to tell the truth. Grave injustice has been done to this young generation under your administration. Accept this truth. Evading your responsibility won’t work,” she said.