New Delhi, Sep 8 (IANS): Congress on Friday hit out at the Central government over the statement of IIT Mandi Director Laxmidhar Behera, saying that "he actually has shown he is not fit to hold the position and the longer he stays, the more damage he will do to the spirit of scientific temper".

The Congress also said that science and spirituality is one thing, but science and crackpot theories that are put out by people in positions of power are quite another.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh in a post on X said, "The Prime Minister spoke of plastic surgery being known to our ancestors. He also told children climate has not changed, while we have. A senior Minister confused Newton and Einstein while another justified excluding Darwin from textbooks."

"Now, this simply flabbergasting statement from the Director of a prestigious institution!!! He actually has shown he is not fit to hold the position. The longer he stays, more the damage he will do to the spirit of scientific temper. Science and spirituality is one thing, but science and crackpot theories that are put out by people in positions of power is quite another," the Rajya Sabha MP said.

His remarks came a day after the IIT Mandi Director stirred a controversy after he asked students to take a pledge not to eat meat while claiming that landslides and cloudbursts in Himachal Pradesh are happening because of cruelty on animals.

Behera made the remarks while addressing the students, a video of which is doing the rounds on social media.