The Indian scientific community is up in arms against the Union government for its decision to bar former chairman of Isro, Gopalan Madhavan Nair, and three other technocrats from positions in the government, questioning why scientists are being punished while the real corrupt are walking free.
Their righteous indignation was best summed by Prof C.N.R. Rao, chairman of the Prime Minister’s Science Advisory Council, who minced no words in criticising the department of space (DOS) for its controversial order but also condemned statements by minister of state in the PMO, V. Narayanasamy.
“This minister has spoken as if he knows everything. What are they trying to prove? This is no way to treat scientists. It will do no good for an organisation like Isro. I know Madhavan Nair and Sridhar Murthi and the others. They are very good and honest people. It’s not as if they have made money,” Prof. Rao told this newspaper.
The renowned scientist said he was aware of “procedural lapses” committed by space scientists while inking the Antrix-Devas contract for S-band spectrum which were listed by former Cabinet secretary B.K. Chaturvedi and space commission member Prof. Roddam Narasimha in their report. “I think the government should do something to set right these lapses. How can it act on a report given by a committee which has Radhakrishnan as its member? How can he sit in a committee which inquiries about his predecessor? And, how come people who have served an organisation for several decades be told that they cannot get posts in future?” he asked.