A former Union Minister's comments doubting Darwin's theory of evolution caused a bit of a kerfuffle in parliament on Friday. Satya Pal Singh, a senior BJP lawmaker, declared in the Lok Sabha that he believed Indians were descendants of rishis (sages) rather than monkeys.
The statement, predictably, provoked a howl of protests from the opposition benches, with lawmakers like Mahua Moitra and Kanimozhi wondering about "scientific temperament".
Satya Pal Singh, a former Mumbai police chief, was participating in a discussion on a proposed bill to amend the human rights law when he dropped the gem.