The CM said he was proud that he was born in a country which had the "best communication system" and "best culture" in the whole world.
Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb has claimed that the Internet and sophisticated satellite communication system existed in the days of Mahabharata, drawing criticism from various quarters.
In the Mahabharata, it has been mentioned that Sanjay gave a live relay of the war between the Pandavas and the Kauravas to the blind king Dhritarashtra, Deb said at a regional workshop on public distribution system computerisation and reforms in Agartala on Tuesday.
"Communication was possible because our technology was sophisticated and developed during those times. We had the Internet and satellite communication system. It is not like the Internet or media wasn't available in the age of Mahabharata," the chief minister said.
"I do not know what happened in the middle age though, between the Mahabharata era and now," Deb said.
Some European countries and the US claim that the modern communication system were their invention, but "we had all these technologies in ancient times", he claimed.
The CM said he was proud that he was born in a country which had the "best communication system" and "best culture" in the whole world.
"Modern technology and digitisation should be used to check corruption and protect secrecy in the administration," he asserted, adding that his government will dedicatedly work to ensure welfare of the poor and backward people.
Bharatiya Janata Party leaders have often come up with bizarre theories about ancient India and Hindu traditions.
Union minister Satypal Sing had a few months ago debunked Charles Darwin's theory of evolution, saying it was wrong and the changes need to reflect in the school and college curriculum.
"Nobody, including our ancestors, in written or oral, said they saw an ape turning into a man,” the minister had said.
Deb further said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given a big push to digitisation by making it accessible to citizens across the country.
"Our prime minister himself is active on social networking sites and he asks the MPs and even the Chief Ministers about their presence on social media. We are lucky enough to have a guardian-like Prime Minister," he added.
How Twitter reacted to Deb's remark
Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb’s claim that Internet existed in the days of Mahabharata has set off a flurry of reaction from Twitter users, who were largely unforgiving for his bizarre statement.
While a section of the Twitterati used humour to ridicule Deb’s claim, other took a swipe at him with tweets loaded with sarcasm.
“Chief minister of Tripura Biplab kumar Deb said that internet exist during Mahabharat times So was he communication minister there at time? ..... Thank god he didn’t said that he gave training to Bheem in his Gym,” a user, with handle @naina4ucozy, wrote on the micro-blogging site.
Users mentioned characters like Krishna, Arjuna and Draupadi from the Hindu epic to mock the newly-elected chief minister of the northeastern state.
“If according to Biplab Deb internet existed during the times of Mahabharat, the main question is, what was Draupadi’s favourite snapchat filter?” tweeted another user @ThePolanator.
“Biggest joke of the millennium. Tomorrow some other BJP leader will claim there was mobile phone in Mahabharat ,otherwise how could Dharmaraja answered questions from Yaksha, of course only by seeking lifeline!” @anumakondaj tweeted.
“Internet In The Time Of Mahabharat: Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb’s interpretation of Mahabharat... When Krishna used Google Maps and Arjun ran out of data. #InternetMahabharata,” @ArreTweets posted.
“Internet was there in Mahabharat-Tripura CM Biplab dev.. Thanks a lot for not saying Bhishm pitamah existing today,” said another user @Abidebyconstitn.
User @KumarShreshtha had a question for Deb: “Can you please answer which happened first Ramayana or Mahabharat ? Any citation against what the broad minded like you claim.”
“Of course, there was #internet for Sanjay to see and recount the #Mahabharat to Dhritirashtra. In fact, the warriors used GPS on their weapons to locate their targets during the war. The gems just keep coming in!” wrote @aartiishere.
But, a few also tweeted in Deb’s support apparently.
User @t_d_h_nair said: “Internet and satellite technology is not new to India; it was prevalent at the time of Mahabharat. Sanjay regularly updating Dhritarashtra about the war sitting at a distant place wouldn’t have been possible without satellite. - Biplab Dev, BJP’s Tripura CM.”
