Click to play videoBangalore: Former ISRO chairman G Madhavan Nair on Wednesday lashed out at the Prime Minister’s Office for its order barring him and three of his colleagues from holding government posts for their alleged involvement in the controversial Antrix-Devas S-band spectrum deal. Nair did not spare his successor, K Radhakrishnan, either.
"This is a clear attempt to tarnish our images and I can see the personal agenda of current Chairman Radhakrishnan behind all these things. I think somehow he turns out to be a non-performer and he is trying to camouflage his inefficiency under this cloud."
In an unprecedented disciplinary action, the government barred Nair and three former ISRO directors - KN Shankara, Sridhara Murthy and Bhaskar Narayanan - from holding any government posts - allegedly for their role in the Antrix-Devas fiasco.
Narayanan, former satellite communications director with ISRO, said, "In 40 years of contribution, suddenly something like a brick hits you on your face, what will you do? Just get hurt, that's it!"
The government’s action comes in the wake of the S-band spectrum deal, wherein private company Devas Multimedia was allegedly wrongfully allotted the scarce S-band spectrum for radio waves by ISRO at a time when Nair was its chairman.
The government scrapped the deal last February citing strategic interests after a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report said that the deal was undervalued.
Former ISRO chief and former President APJ Kalam, meanwhile, walked the safe line on the controversy and refused to take sides, saying the organisation was bigger than any individual.
Both the ISRO spokesperson and ISRO Chairman Dr Radhakrishnan, meanwhile, have refused to comment on the entire issue.
Even as the government takes action against some of ISRO’s most reputed scientists and an arbitration proceeding awaits the government from the private company Devas, the big question still remains - What of the Cabinet which had approved the deal in the first place?
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