New Delhi: In a major development that shows the intelligentsia is clearly “deserting” the Narendra Modi government, historians on Thursday joined writers, filmmakers and scientists in growing protests against the “climate of intolerance” over which top scientist P.M. Bhargava said that he would return his Padma Bhushan, alleging that the Centre was trying to make India into a “Hindu religious autocracy”.
The government, on its part, remained disdainful about the development, with Union ministers like Arun Jaitley, Rajnath Singh and M. Venkaiah Naidu rubbishing protests by the intellectuals as an act of political motivation.
BJP spokesman G.V.L. Narasimha Rao even described Mr Bhargava as a “habitual protester” and a party statement termed him as a member of the “hate Modi brigade” and Sonia Gandhi’s “cheerleader” who was rewarded by Congress governments.
Mr Bhargava, who founded the prestigious Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology in Hyderabad, said he will return the award conferred on him in 1986 as he felt the climate in the country was of “very strong fear” and it was “against rationality, against reason and against scientific temper”.
“I decided to return the award. The present government is moving away from the path of democracy, moving towards the path of making the country a Hindu religious autocracy just like Pakistan. This is not acceptable...,” the 87-year-old scientist said.
He alleged that appointments to various posts were being made with people with some connection to the RSS. Charging the Modi government with “not keeping its promises,” Mr Bhargava said: “Returning the award is the only thing I can do as a scientist.”
