Indian politics has given us many things. Colourful rallies. Fiery debates. And an endless supply of statements so wild you’d think someone was making them up. But no. These words actually left the mouths of elected officials, often on camera, often with complete confidence. From nursery rhyme bans to cosmic cow science to a Prime Minister claiming divine origins, the bar keeps getting lower.
So grab some popcorn (careful though, the tax rate depends on whether it’s salted or caramelized). Here are 10 of the most bizarre, controversial, and cringe-worthy statements Indian politicians have made in recent times.
10. "Go Corona, Go Corona, Corona Go!" (Union Minister Ramdas Athawale, 2020)
This one kicks off the list because, honestly, it’s almost endearing in how absurd it is. In March 2020, when COVID-19 was spreading rapidly across the globe, Union Minister of State Ramdas Athawale decided the best course of action was… a chant. At a prayer meeting near Mumbai’s Gateway of India, Athawale stood alongside the Chinese Consul General and Buddhist monks and began belting out, “Go corona! Corona go!” with the energy of a man who truly believed the virus would pack its bags and leave.
The video went viral instantly, spawning remixes, memes, and a level of internet fame that most marketing teams would kill for. Credit where it’s due, Athawale owned it. He never walked it back. And while chanting at a pandemic is objectively useless, you have to admire the commitment. (10)
9. "Astrology Is the Number One Science in the World" (Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, 2014)
Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, a former Chief Minister of Uttarakhand and later India’s Education Minister, stood up in the Lok Sabha in December 2014 and declared that every branch of modern science was a “dwarf” compared to astrology. He called astrology the “number one science for the entire world.” He also claimed that Sage Kanad, an ancient Indian philosopher, conducted nuclear tests thousands of years ago on Indian soil.
The man who would go on to lead the country’s entire education policy genuinely believed that planetary positions mattered more than physics, chemistry, and biology combined. India has produced some of the finest scientists in history. From Raman to Bose to Kalam. And yet the person shaping the next generation’s curriculum thought horoscopes trumped all of it. (9)
8. "Darwin's Theory of Evolution Is Scientifically Wrong" (Satyapal Singh, 2018)
Union Minister of State for Human Resource Development Satyapal Singh, a former IPS officer, made global headlines in January 2018 by declaring Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution “scientifically wrong.” His reasoning? “Nobody, including our ancestors, in written or oral, have said they saw an ape turning into a man.” That was his argument. Nobody personally witnessed evolution, so it didn’t happen. By that logic, nobody saw the Earth form either, but here we are standing on it.
Singh went further and called for Darwin’s theory to be removed from school textbooks. Over 2,000 scientists signed an open letter urging him to retract, pointing out that every new finding since Darwin has only reinforced evolutionary theory. Singh didn’t budge. He doubled down months later, saying he didn’t consider himself a “child of a monkey.” His own colleague, HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar, had to publicly ask him to stop. (8)
7. "Internet and Satellites Existed During the Mahabharata" (Biplab Kumar Deb, 2018)
Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb dropped this gem in April 2018 while inaugurating a workshop on computerization of the Public Distribution System. He claimed that internet and satellite communication existed during the time of the Mahabharata, thousands of years ago. His proof? The character Sanjaya, who narrated the events of the Kurukshetra battlefield to the blind king Dhritarashtra in real time. “How could Dhritarashtra see through Sanjaya’s eyes?” Deb asked. “There was technology available at that time. Internet was there, satellite communication was there.”
He said this confidently and repeatedly. And he wasn’t framing it as mythology or allegory. He presented it as historical fact, going so far as to say that Europeans and Americans merely claimed these inventions as their own. A mythological narrative about divine vision became, in Deb’s telling, proof that ancient India had Wi-Fi. (7)
6. "Cow Is the Only Animal That Exhales Oxygen" (Trivendra Singh Rawat, 2019)
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat told the public in July 2019 that the cow is the only animal on the planet that both inhales and exhales oxygen. That’s not how lungs work for any mammal, but Rawat wasn’t finished. He also claimed that massaging a cow could cure breathing problems and that living near cows could heal tuberculosis. In a viral video, Rawat spoke with the confidence of someone presenting peer-reviewed research.
He said he’d personally studied the benefits of cow dung and urine during his time as animal husbandry minister. Rawat wasn’t the first to make this claim either. In 2017, Rajasthan Education Minister Vasudev Devnani said almost the exact same thing. It’s a pattern now. Indian politicians and pseudoscientific cow claims go together like, well, like a cow and the oxygen it supposedly exhales. (6)
5. "Lord Ganesha Is Proof of Plastic Surgery, Karna Was a Test-Tube Baby" (PM Narendra Modi, 2014)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi made this statement at the inauguration of a hospital in Mumbai in October 2014, and it made waves worldwide. Addressing doctors and scientists, Modi said, “We worship Lord Ganesha. There must have been some plastic surgeon at that time who got an elephant’s head on the body of a human being.” He also cited the Mahabharata character Karna, born outside his mother’s womb, as evidence that genetic science existed in ancient India.
India does have a real history of ancient surgical techniques. Sushruta, a physician from around 600 BCE, performed rhinoplasty and is widely considered one of the fathers of surgery. That’s impressive. But Modi didn’t cite Sushruta. He cited a mythological deity and an epic poem as scientific evidence, to a room full of medical professionals. It turned into an international story and gave late-night comedians fresh material for weeks. (5)
4. "Caramel Popcorn Is Sugar Confectionery" and the Great Popcorn Tax Saga (FM Nirmala Sitharaman, 2024)
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman found herself at the centre of a bizarre national debate in December 2024 when she explained the GST Council’s tax structure for popcorn. Plain popcorn with salt and spices? 5% GST. Pre-packaged and labelled? 12%. Caramel popcorn? 18%, because adding sugar reclassifies it as a “sugar confectionery.” Sitharaman tried to justify the logic at a press conference. “Till the time popcorn is salted, it attracts 5% GST. But when it has added caramelized sugar, it is no longer namkeen.”
The internet lost it. Memes flooded social media. One user wrote, “Russia developed a vaccine for cancer. China made a cure for diabetes. Meanwhile India found three different tax rates for popcorn.” The opposition Congress party called it proof of the GST system’s “growing absurdity.” While the tax logic has some technical basis (many countries tax sweet and savoury foods differently), the optics of a Finance Minister earnestly explaining popcorn subcategories was pure comedy gold. (4)
3. "Rain Rain Go Away" and "Johnny Johnny Yes Papa" Are Against Indian Culture (Yogendra Upadhyay, 2025)
This one is fresh. In May 2026, Uttar Pradesh Higher Education Minister Yogendra Upadhyay went after two of the most harmless nursery rhymes on the planet. At an event felicitating teachers in Kanpur, Upadhyay declared that “Johnny Johnny Yes Papa” teaches children to lie (Johnny denies eating sugar when he clearly has been). And “Rain Rain Go Away”? That one promotes selfishness, because Little Johnny wants the rain to stop so he can play.
“Our tradition is that rain should come because it benefits everyone,” Upadhyay said. “But here, for Little Johnny to play, they are asking the rain to leave.” He called for both rhymes to be removed from school textbooks. The Samajwadi Party fired back, saying the BJP had done nothing for nine years and was now picking fights with nursery rhymes to distract people. Think about it this way. Of all the problems in UP’s education system, this minister decided that a toddler’s song about rain was the hill to die on. (3)
2."People in the East Look Like Chinese, People in the South Look Like Africans" (Sam Pitroda, 2024)
Sam Pitroda, Chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress and long-time Gandhi family advisor, tried to celebrate India’s diversity during a May 2024 interview. It backfired spectacularly. “We could hold together a country as diverse as India where people in the East look like Chinese, people in the West look like Arabs, people in the North look like maybe white and people in the South look like Africans,”
Pitroda said. He meant it as praise. It landed as a grenade. Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma responded on X with the perfect one-liner: “Sam bhai, I am from the North East and I look like an Indian.” PM Modi called it “disgusting” and “extremely racist” at rallies in Telangana. Congress scrambled to distance itself, with General Secretary Jairam Ramesh calling the remarks “most unfortunate and unacceptable.”
Within 24 hours, Pitroda resigned. This wasn’t some fringe backbencher. He’s an 82-year-old telecom pioneer with decades of global experience. And the best he could do was sort 1.4 billion people into four racial categories based on geography. During an election his party was already losing. (2)
1. "I Am Not Biological. God Sent Me." (Prime Minister Narendra Modi, 2024)
This takes the top spot because it came from the most powerful person in Indian politics and it wasn’t a joke. In May 2024, during an interview with News18 India in Varanasi ahead of the general elections, PM Narendra Modi said he no longer believes he was born biologically. “When my mother was alive, I used to believe that I was born biologically,” Modi said. “After she passed away, I am now convinced that God sent me. This energy is not from a biological body. I am nothing. I am just an instrument.”
The sitting Prime Minister of the world’s largest democracy told a national audience that he believes he is divinely sent. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi responded, “If any common man says the things that the Prime Minister is saying, you would take him straight to a psychiatrist.” The remark drew international coverage. For critics, it was a leader crossing the line from confidence into something else entirely. But regardless of where you stand, a head of state claiming divine origin on national television lands firmly at number one. (1)
Think we missed a big one? Tell us in the comments!
