TMC's Gokhale slams Pradhan's 'Mahakal Time' remark, questions suitability as education minister
New Delhi (PTI): Trinamool Congress leader Saket Gokhale on Monday slammed Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over his remarks advocating the establishment of a 'Mahakal Standard Time' in place of 'Greenwich Mean Time', questioning his suitability for the post.
In a post on X, Gokhale took a jibe at the minister over his claim that Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh was "the original centre of time calculation".
"India’s Education Minister thinks that the Equator 'meets' the Tropic of Cancer in Ujjain. The Equator (0° latitude) & the Tropic of Cancer (23.5°N latitude) are parallel lines... Parallel lines = Lines that never meet," he said.
"When you vote BJP, these are the kind of people who shape India’s education system & policies," he said.
Pradhan, while inaugurating the three-day 'Mahakal: The Master of Time International Conference' in the Madhya Pradesh city on April 3, had said that Ujjain is the place where the Equator and the Tropic of Cancer meet and where ancient world time calculations were made.
"Therefore, the time has come to logically establish 'Mahakal Standard Time' (MST) in place of 'Greenwich Mean Time' (GMT). Even modern AI tools recognise that the original centre of time calculation is the area around Ujjain," he said.
The minister said the country needs to re-establish its scientific pride globally.
India’s EDUCATION MINISTER thinks that the Equator “meets” the Tropic of Cancer in Ujjain.
— Saket Gokhale (@SaketGokhale) April 6, 2026
The Equator (0° latitude) & the Tropic of Cancer (23.5°N latitude) are PARALLEL LINES.
Parallel lines = Lines that never meet.
When you vote BJP, these are the kind of people who… pic.twitter.com/pOvNDhkjLC
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Sengottaiyan secures historic 10th victory in Gobichettipalayam assembly constituency
Gobichettipalayam (Tamil Nadu) (PTI): In a historic 10th win, veteran leader K A Sengottaiyan clinched the Gobichettipalayam seat in the 2026 Assembly elections.
Contesting for the first time under actor Vijay’s TVK, the 78-year-old secured approximately 71,380 votes, defeating DMK’s N Nallasivam by a margin of nearly 13,000 votes.
This win marks Sengottaiyan’s 10th consecutive victory in the constituency, cementing his status as an immovable force in the region despite his high-profile exit from the AIADMK in late 2025.
His success was a cornerstone for the TVK, which emerged as a formidable force across the state. Supporters celebrated the win as a testament to Sengottaiyan’s personal influence, which successfully transitioned from his former Dravidian home to the newly formed TVK.
