New Delhi, April 6 Trinamool Congress leader Saket Gokhale on Monday criticized Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over his remarks advocating the establishment of a 'Mahakal Standard Time' instead of 'Greenwich Mean Time', questioning his suitability for the position.
In a post on X, Gokhale mocked the minister over his claim that Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh was "the original center of time calculation."
"India's Education Minister believes that the Equator 'meets' the Tropic of Cancer in Ujjain. The Equator (0° latitude) and the Tropic of Cancer (23.5°N latitude) are parallel lines... Parallel lines = Lines that never meet," he said.
"When you vote for the BJP, these are the kind of people who shape India's education system and policies," he said.
Pradhan, while inaugurating the three-day 'Mahakal: The Master of Time International Conference' in the Madhya Pradesh city on April 3, had said that Ujjain is the place where the Equator and the Tropic of Cancer meet and where ancient world time calculations were made.
"Therefore, it is time to logically establish 'Mahakal Standard Time' (MST) instead of 'Greenwich Mean Time' (GMT). Even modern AI tools recognize that the original center of time calculation is the area around Ujjain," he said.
The minister said the country needs to re-establish its scientific pride globally.