Nair seeks probe into Antrix deal breaker.

Daily Pioneer:Friday, January 27, 2012.

After being blacklisted by the Centre from holding any Government jobs over the Antrix-Devas deal, former Chairman of ISRO G Madhvan Nair wants a full investigation into why the deal was cancelled. Nair is one of the four retired scientists who have been penalised by the Government.

Nair told The Pioneer that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who holds the space department portfolio, should order a full-fledged investigation as to why the deal was cancelled. “I want to know why the deal was cancelled between Antrix and Devas. The Prime Minister should order a probe into this. Vested interests have scuttled the deal. I repose full faith in PM,” he said.

However, the 68-year-old Nair continued to spew venom against ISRO Chairman Radhakrishnan. Calling him the architect of the whole episode, Nair claimed that Radhakrishnan knew about and was part of the deal. “In the whole episode people have been misled. The Antrix board, the highest decision-making body of ISRO’s commercial arm finalised the deal. Radhakrishnan was a member of that body then. He had given consent to the deal and all the decisions,” said Nair.

Nair feels he has become a fall guy in the whole conspiracy and wanted the Prime Minister to have heard him before the decision. He indicated that he might move the court after obtaining the copy through an RTI application on Friday. Nair said, “I am hurt by the way they did everything. They did not give us an opportunity to explain our stand. I will apply through RTI on Friday and let me see moving the courts.”

Nair, who hit out against the Government, is ready to severe all his ties with the Government which includes high-profile positions in an IIT and also from a 90-seater passenger plane project. Nair is also president of International Academy of Astronautics.

Nair said he would not return the Padma Vibhushan, which was awarded to him in 2009, because it was an accolade for the Indian space community. Nair, was chairman of ISRO between 2003 and 2009.

An ISRO scientist told The Pioneer on the condition of anonymity that the whole episode was a conspiracy to make Nair a scapegoat. He said the timing of the action initiated by the Government raises suspicion. He pointed out that the Supreme Court is slated to hear Devas’ petition to allow arbitration under UNCITRAL (United Nations Commission on International Trade Law) on February 3.