Fact check: Was Ministry of culture planning to conduct a study on 'racial purity' in India?

New Delhi, Jun 01: The Congress on Tuesday described a proposal of the culture ministry's reportedly to trace the purity of races in India as "sinister" even as the ministry denied any such move.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said the country wants job security and economic prosperity and not racial purity.

"The last time a country had a culture ministry studying 'racial purity', it didn't end well. India wants job security and economic prosperity, not 'racial purity', Prime Minister," Gandhi said in a tweet, quoting a media report that the culture ministry will study the racial purity of Indians.

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh also shared the article on Twitter and said this is the Germany of the 1930s.

"Nothing can be more sinister than the decision of Union Ministry of Culture to acquire DNA profiling machines to establish genetic history and 'trace the purity of races in India'. Genetic history is one thing, but racial purity? This is Germany of the 1930s," the former Union minister said in a tweet.

The Ministry of Culture, however, dubbed the media report as "misleading and mischievous", saying its proposal is not related to establishing the genetic history or tracing the purity of Indians.

"The Article - Culture Ministry to Study 'Racial Purity' of Indians, in Morning Standard on 28th May is misleading, mischievous and contrary to facts. The proposal is not related to establishing genetic history and 'trace the purity of races in India' as alluded in article," the ministry said on its official Twitter handle.