Eminent Scientist Bhargava: "The Narendra Modi Govt has no commitment to Science or scientific research"

by Guest Thu Oct 29, 2015 11:15 pm

There are multiple reasons; I will give you the three central ones. Firstly, the government has lost the path of democracy and is treading on the path of what I may call Hindu religious dictatorship. That worries me. The second reason is that the BJP [Bharatiya Janata Party] is the political front of the RSS; as it turns out, it acts on the behest of the RSS, which is a Hindu fundamentalist organisation. I can not be in favour of any fundamentalist organisation, irrespective of its religion. And lastly, there is the issue of scientific temper. Our constitution, in its article 51 A’s subsection ‘h’, says that every citizen of India should develop a scientific temper. So, you see, reason and scientific temper are our two very important commitments as citizens. But as we have seen, the government itself doesn’t have a scientific temper. And as someone who was partly responsible for having this clause inserted—I had worked closely with the then education minister Nurul Hasan, who was a close friend of mine—this is of grave concern.

Then one of the results of this growing tide of intolerance is that that non-Hindus—Muslims and Christians—in the present regime feel like second-class citizens of India. Churches have been burned, and you know what happened in Dadri. All this worries me.

Another important reason, I would give you, is that so far in our history, of course governments have done something which we have found unacceptable. But they have never told you what to wear, what to eat and how to behave. This sort of moral policing is something that is unique to the present government.

- See more at: http://www.caravanmagazine.in/vantage/government-has-no-commitment-science-or-scientific-research%E2%80%9D#sthash.g7xBJuJ2.dpuf

by Guest Thu Oct 29, 2015 11:19 pm

AD: In 1981, you were one of the signatories to a document titled, A Statement on Scientific Temper. This statement voiced the anxiety that, “scientific temper has been beleaguered and besieged by deep-rooted structures of an ancient society.” How do you see the situation now?

PM Bhargava: The situation is much worse today. At that time, in 1981, we felt that scientific temper was being compromised. It wasn’t triggered by an incident; it was a feeling that many of us shared, so I got the Nehru Centre in Mumbai to fund a four-day meeting of eminent scientists in Coonoor, and out of that meeting came out that statement. And remember, that statement made tremendous impact: there were debates about it across the country and it was translated in many languages.

Today, I don’t think that in the union council of ministers, there will be a one person who is committed to scientific temper or are even familiar with the term.

It wasn’t like this in 1981.

AD: How does this climate of intolerance affect academic and scientific research?
PM Bhargava: This government has no commitment to science or scientific research. The budget of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research has been cut by half; scientists and laboratories are being asked to raise their own money. It is absurd. It does have a psychological impact as well. For example, when the prime minister of the country says that in ancient times we could transplant the head of an elephant on top of a human torso, imagine what an organ transplantation surgeon would be thinking.

- See more at: http://www.caravanmagazine.in/vantage/government-has-no-commitment-science-or-scientific-research%E2%80%9D#sthash.g7xBJuJ2.Ct6V0qya.dpuf

Eminent Scientist Bhargava: "The Narendra Modi Govt has no commitment to Science or scientific research"

Eminent Scientist Bhargava: "The Narendra Modi Govt has no commitment to Science or scientific research"

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