GUWAHATI, Jan 24 - Standing by his statement denouncing Charles Darwin�s theory of evolution, Union Minister of State for Human Resource Development Dr Satya Pal Singh has expressed his ministry�s willingness to hold an international conference to debate over the relevance of the theory.
On whether the theory, which he said was �wrong�, could be scrapped from the textbooks, the Minister told reporters in Guwahati that it can be decided after hearing eminent scientists and scholars arguing for and against the theory. �What is factual should only be taught in the textbooks,� he added.
The minister, who held a review meeting of the higher educational institutions of the Northeast under the MHRD at IIT Guwahati, also said that the entire buzz around the �evolution theory� needed a thorough debate, and not a controversy.
�Those who think that my statement is wrong should understand that it was not my statement, rather, the views of some of the great scientists of the world. Hundreds of evidences have come out against the theory of evolution and not a single evidence-based argument is there in favour of the theory,� Singh said naming the renowned scientists like Einstein, Gregor Mendel and Lamarck who opposed Darwin�s theory.
The Minister further added that the Ministry of HRD is even ready to sponsor the conference, where evolutionists and Darwinists can put their views against those opposing the theory to find out what is true.
