Funding idiotic, not netas, says Bharat Ratna awardee CNR Rao in a U-turn

Bengaluru: Attempting to backtrack after an outburst that targeted politicians, Bharat Ratna awardee Prof CNR Rao on Monday said he was only signalling that 'inadequate' funding of science in the country was an 'idiotic' situation.

Speaking in a programme organised at the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Jakkur on Monday, the 79-yar-old scientist suggested that he never called politicians ‘idiots’, seeking to clarify his outburst on Sunday that raised eyebrows, just a day after the government named him for the highest civilian award, along with cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar.

“Our investment is not good that is a bit idiotic… that's all I said... not in anger...I'm not an angry man. Unfortunately, they don't understand the priority. That is what I said,” Rao told reporters in the city, as he sought to explain his outburst.

“It was not said in anger you know. I didn't call somebody an idiot. These are two different things. Unfortunately, use of language has been .... I should not use, I will never use that word again because I didn't realise people will take it as somebody being called an idiot. I didn't call anyone an idiot.”

Union Science and Technology Minister Jaipal Reddy said he agreed with Rao's views that sufficient funds are not being earmarked for scientific research in the country. 

Venting out the dissatisfaction in the scientific community over ‘inadequate’ funding, the Chairman of Prime Minister’s Scientific Advisory Council had said “....Why the hell these idiots, these politicians have given so little for us...for the money that government has given to science sector, we have done much more. The science sector gets only 20 to 30 per cent of the amount asked from government for its research work, he said.

“First of all, they should understand the relative importance of science, they should understand that they have to invest in proportion to our requirement, so that India shines. For that, we have to understand what is required. It is not being understood and that is bit of an idiotic situation that is what I meant,” he said.

Stating that the word is used in British Parliament, Rao said, “Prime Minister is doing idiotic things,  they will say, nobody will be upset by that. I don’t know why you are upset here.”

On whether the government has to do more for science, he said, “They are doing it, they have to do more. It was not a problem at all 20 years ago that is what I’m trying to tell that South Korea has beaten Japan. Where do we stand?

Where are our people going to be employed? Where will they get the money for feeding the people even? We have to earn that money. For that our industry has to do well, our technology has to do well. There is competition and that is why we need more investment,” Prof Rao stated.

On his bitter criticism of politicians, Prof Rao said, “I did not use harsh words, it’s wrong. I only used the word idiotic, and that’s not a harsh word in English. Unfortu­nately, it is misunderstood as a harsh word.”