The Sangh parivar’s unreason and lack of the scientific temper is the primary source of the country’s tribulations, from the Nazi-like assaults at JNU to the use of inferior copycat technology, eminent scientist Bikash Sinha tells Subhoranjan Dasgupta. Excerpts:

Q: You had said the mayhem at JNU was the most shocking example of fascism at work. Was this judgement a bit too harsh?

Sinha: Not at all. Many renowned academics belonging to the science, humanities and social science streams as well as creative people have used more or less the same expression to denounce the horrific incident.

I was happy to note that the young Nobel laureate, Abhijit Vinayak Banerjee, candidly said that he heard the echoes of Germany moving towards Nazi rule. Not only the so-called “enlightened” section but also the common people have stressed their solidarity with the agitating students.

The latter were also vocal in their firm opposition to the citizenship legislations. Housewives, students and workers in thousands have demanded the scrapping of the CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act), NPR (National Population register) and the NRC (National Register of Citizens).

In sum, what we are experiencing at this moment is a mass upsurge. The fierce assault at JNU and the imposition of the citizenship legislation form one simple dreadful structure of unreason that simply cannot be wished way. Can you think of another legislation that regards the father as a citizen of India and the son as an encroacher? Or the wife as an Indian citizen and the husband as an intruder? It is an example of irrationalism per se.

Q: What is the compelling motive behind the brutal, fascist attack at JNU and the citizenship legislations?

Sinha: Very simple, the absolute absence of reason or a shameless perversion of reason. Indeed, pure unreason acts as the primary motivation of the present regime. This dangerous unreason has led to the demonetisation, CAA and a host of other destructive promulgations.

Had enlightened reason been the guide, the powers that be would have devoted their heart and soul to fighting the deep and pervasive economic malaise. Instead of combating it, the Prime Minister has glibly said the economy passes “naturally” through bright and dark phases, and it is simply a “dark” phase that we are confronting now for a short period of time. Soon it will end.

But, in this specific context, how can we forget the blatant truth that more than 10,000 farmers committed suicide in 2018 and the rate of economic growth has slumped below 5 per cent?