Demands more fund; Why no Bharat Ratna for Vajpayee, asks BJP
Venting out the dissatisfaction in the scientific community over “inadequate” funding, Bharat Ratna awardee and eminent scientist CNR Rao on Sunday had an angry outburst as he called politicians “idiots” for giving them “so little”.
“Why the hell these idiot politicians have given so little for usIJ In spite of that we scientists have done something,” Rao said, losing his cool.
In an unrelated event, the BJP on Sunday asked why India’s highest civilian honour, Bharat Ratna, has not been conferred on former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. “Bharat Ratna awarded to Sachin Tendulkar and scientist CNR Rao. I congratulate them. But today I am raising a question here that why Atal Bihari Vajpayee has not been awarded Bharat RatnaIJ He contributed in the formation of Chhattisgarh and he was the most popular Prime Minister...,” deputy leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters in Raipur.
“Sardar Patel was a ‘ratna’ (gem) of the country. He died in 1950 while Bharat Ratna was conferred on him in 1991. Why 41 years of delay in giving the awardIJ Between that period Jawahar lal Nehru was (PM) for 17 years, Indira Gandhi for 16 years and Rajiv Gandhi for 5 years, and Bharat Ratna was given to several people, then why Patel was given after 41 yearsIJ” Prasad asked.
Addressing a Press conference a day after the award was announced, CNR Rao, who is the Chairman of Prime Minister’s Scientific Advisory Council, stressed the need for providing more resources for research. “....For the money that government has given to scientific sector, we have done much more,” he retorted, when a reporter asked if he felt that the standard of the scientific research in the country.
“Our investments are marginal, comes late.... For that money we have got, we have performed. For the money we have been getting it is not bad at all, after all this kind of money is nothing.”
Asked about China progress, the scientist said that, “We also have to take blame on ourselves, Indians we don’t work hard, we are not like Chinese. We are easy going and we are not as much nationalists...If we get some-more money we are ready to go abroad.”
He said Information Technology (IT) has nothing to do with science. “IT (Information Technology) has nothing to do with Science. IT is only to make money for some people, and they are whole bunch of unhappy people working there,” Rao told reporters here.
“....The future of India stands with science, let me tell you only countries which have really made progress in the world are those which are scientifically advanced and those which are not scientifically advanced are not known....,” Rao told reporters here, a day after the government announced its decision to confer the Bharat Ratna on him.