Being a scientist myself, I am a bit surprised at the delight with
which Dr A P J Abdul Kalam's candidature for presidency has been
greeted. Our politicians should be ashamed at the lack of respect
that their ilk command in the eyes of the public! As stated by many
observers, Dr Kalam is a technocrat, a manager of technological
projects. That the projects on which he has delivered have all been
of a military nature is rather worrying. Consider what the political
parties who are supporting Dr Kalam would have to say if Pakistan had
declared Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan as a candidate for presidentship!
When questioned by reporters, Dr Kalam has said that he will not look
for an auspicious time to file his nomination. But this does not
carry much weight, since Dr Kalam has never spoken against the
astrological degree programmes of the government he has been a
scientific adviser to. Would the BJP seek out and approve the
candidature of a senior scientist like Dr Obaid Siddiqui, who has
publicly voiced his opposition on this issue? Members of Dr Kalam's
community are understandably thrilled. But they should recall that Dr
Kalam fits in comfortably with our prime minister's two-Islams
theory. He is the 'good' Muslim, so good that he has never raised his
voice against the Gujarat government about the recent carnage there.
Would the NDA have supported the candidature of someone like Dr
Asghar Ali Engineer?
I am not against a scientist becoming head of State. But a retiring,
shy person like Dr Kalam, who goes along with the establishment in
everything it does, is not my choice for President of India.
Kamal Lodaya,
(Indian Scientists Against Nuclear Weapons),
Chennai