"Internet and satellite communication had existed in the days of Mahabharata," an Indian politician and chief minister of the north-eastern state of Tripura, Biplab Deb, said during a public function on Tuesday, referring to one of the major Sanskrit epics of ancient India that was written thousands years ago.
The epic narrates the story of the Kurukṣetra War, a major dynastic struggle for the throne.
According to Deb, the events described in the epic serve as a proof that both the internet and the satellite technology existed in ancient India many centuries ago.
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"We had technology in those times… Who knows what happened in the middle but those technologies existed thousands of years ago," he said.
Footage of him making these comments went viral and sparked active debate among social media users.
Some people called his statements "embarrassing."
Others perceived his remark with restraint.