Defending Rationality: Nehru's Legacy Under Siege?

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh criticized the Modi government for allegedly undermining scientific temper, a concept emphasized by India's first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. He accused the government of eroding democracy and scientific rationality and likened the strategy to endorsing an 'open economy with a closed mind.'

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh has taken aim at the Modi government, accusing it of eroding the foundations of scientific temper—something he claims was crucial to Jawaharlal Nehru's vision for India. Speaking at a seminar, Ramesh labeled the current administration's strategy as a perilous 'open economy and closed mind' model.

Citing a perceived systematic assault on rationality and democracy, Ramesh highlighted how Nehru's Scientific Policy Resolution of 1958 was designed to nurture a scientific outlook, not just establish laboratories. He emphasized that today's scenario poses questions about the genuine encouragement of scientific thinking.

Ramesh further charged that the government promotes an outdated narrative in textbooks, arguing this approach jeopardizes the future. Asserting that all scientific institutions face systematic attacks, he urged citizens to maintain a questioning attitude, in line with Nehru's advocacy for scientific temper.

(With inputs from agencies.)