Bangalore: Former ISRO chief G Madhavan Nair
and three fellow space scientists against whom Government has
taken damning action in the controversial Antrix-Devas deal
were "thrown out like garbage", said Prof C N R Rao, Head
of the Scientific Advisory Council to the Prime Minister.
Mincing no words, an angry Rao while putting his weight
behind Nair also slammed V Narayanasamy, Minister of State in
the Prime Minister's Office, for his stand on the ISRO row.
"People who have served the country, served the
organisation for long, you cannot throw them like garbage.
That's what they have done. They have literally thrown them
out of the window like garbage", Rao told PTI today, voicing
outrage at the action.
"They have not treated corrupt persons in politics, in
public life like that. Why only scientists have been picked
up?", asked Rao, also Honorary President of Bangalore-based
Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research.
"Is this the way to treat anybody? Nobody will work for
these (government) organisations if this is the way they
are treated", Rao, a renowned scientist, said.
Nair said he appreciated Rao and other scientists for
their support to him and was happy they voiced their concern
over the developments in public.
"I really appreciate persons like Prof C N R Rao....they
have understood the issue and I appreciate their concern,"
he added.
Rao targeted Narayanasamy for his reported comments that
the government decision was taken to send a strong message to
the scientific community that no wrongdoing would be
tolerated. The Minister's comments came while he defending the
action against Nair and three others.
"Minister of State saying this will be lesson...warning
to scientists...it's not the way to talk about scientists. I
don't know where he (Narayanasamy) got his basic education. I
am shocked by the way he was on TV and talking like this about
scientists in general," he said.
The government on Wednesday had barred Nair and three
others from any re-employment for their alleged role in the
deal on allocation of scarce S-band space segment to private
firm Devas.
PTI
First Published: Saturday, January 28, 2012, 18:39