When K Ponmudy, Minister for Higher Education, Government of Tamil Nadu asked students of Political Science and Public Administration, "What is a unitary state?", He was shocked to note that no one knew the answer.

He was speaking on the occasion of World Constitution Day yesterday, Friday, August 2, at the Tamil Nadu Open University. 

The minister expressed his disappointment that the students did not know the answer. He then proceeded to ask students to give him an example of a unitary state.

When one of the students responded "India", he was even more shocked. Then, Ponmudy directed the same question to the teachers, particularly the ones on the stage, in the hope of a correct answer. When one professor answered "Puducherry" he was bewildered. 

"What are you teaching the students? Professors should be trained properly first. Only then will students learn," he said, as stated in a report by The New Indian Express.

Ponmudy, who has a doctorate in Political Science, went on to explain that, "A unitary state is where the central government holds all the power. An example of this is England. US, on the other hand, is an example of a federal state,"