Politicos should imbibe true spirit of science

As the Members of Parliament entered the new building, the Parliament House of India, one expected that things would improve and there would be a significant improvement in the quality of discussions. But the way the discussion on Chandrayaan progressed in Lok Sabha Sabha, it was disheartening to note that change was not visible. Snide remarks when not backed with logic do not cut ice with the people. That cannot be called an intelligent debate.

What bothered the TMC member Sugata Roy more than the success of scientists was why Prime Minister’s photograph came on the screen. His argument was Chandrayaan-3 was not the result of one individual’s effort. Certainly, nothing can be one individual’s effort. Even the growth of a state government cannot be attributed to one individual, though all parties, be it parivarvad or sangh parivar parties, do it. It is something that has been there for the past 75 years. There was another illogical comment by Congress MP Karti Chidambaram. He said it is “baffling” that while India is landing on the Moon, the country still has issues such as manual scavenging and potholes. “It is actually baffling...how can we as a nation are able to land in the unchartered part of the Moon and still have manual scavenging at the same time?”

The simple answer to this is scientists show passion and dedication to achieve their targets while the existence of manual scavenging reflects the inefficiency of politicians who had been in power. If the successive governments were serious about public welfare, certainly they could have made manual scavenging a thing of the past. Does Karti feel that it is the job of Union government alone? Congress party, too, had ruled the country for over five decades, but it failed to eradicate the practice of manual scavenging. Why can’t the Congress-ruled states set an example for the country by eradicating the manual scavenging? Why are the Congress leaders like Rahul Gandhi still trying to understand the problems of railway coolies or truck drivers or auto rickshaw drivers?

Apparently, there is something seriously wrong in our society. We failed to leverage the scientific advancements, Karti said. Yes, he is right. There is something that is seriously wrong with the lawmakers. Not a single legislator or MP had taken it up seriously and eradicated the menace at least in his constituency.

The purpose of electing representatives is to ensure that the problems of their respective constituencies are resolved. Is that really happening? Why can’t they bring synergy among various wings of government and enlist public participation? If they show such interest, like scientists, they, too, can achieve the targets.

The TMC member did not want to give any credit to the NDA government over the success of Chandrayan-3 saying it was the result of vision of Nehru and Indira Gandhi and hard work of previous scientists. Undoubtedly, nothing happens overnight. There can be no magic wand to achieve success. It requires constant efforts and perfect teamwork. It would have been better if the MPs who spoke on Chandrayaan-3 suggested that the lawmakers and politicians show the kind of dedication and team spirit the scientists had exhibited.

Science is value neutral. It can give us knowledge of nuclear power, but it is our culture which tells us whether we use that power in the form of energy for our own development or in the form of a weapon to destroy others. Martin Luther King said: “Science gives man knowledge, which is power. Religion gives man wisdom, which is control.” Those who say that we should get rid of our culture and adopt science, must understand that culture and science complement each other.