AN OPEN LETTER TO SH. NARENDRA MODI, PRIME MINISTER OF INDIA

Respected Sh. Modi Ji,

I am one of the 125 crore Indians you so often talk of and so often praise in your public addresses in India and abroad. I have absolutely no political affiliations. A few days back through your address at Goa, you promised to deliver us an India of our dreams. I most earnestly hope and pray that you fulfill your promise.

When we were losing all hope, you have suddenly rekindled the hope of a nation by a very bold action of demonetizing the existing 500 and 1000 rupee notes. While various economists and political parties are critical of this decision per se, the majority of Indians support you in your attempt to curb the menace of black money and corruption. I also support you in this decision.

You also boasted (you boast a lot, probably no one has told you that cheap boasting is unbecoming of a PM) at Goa that you would not spare the dishonest. In saying so, you appeared to be guilty of lying publicly. Because your track record in dealing with the corrupt has not been bad, it has been abysmal.

Here are a few instances that the media and your political opponents have preferred to forget.

1. When Kirti Azad, your own party MP exposed the corruption in DDCA by your finance minister Arun Jaitely, he was suspended from the party and Arun Jaitely – totally implicated for having administered fraudulent cricket and IPL for years – continues to be your and our Finance Minister.

2. Vasundhra Raje Scindia and Shivraj Singh Chauhan have been implicated in big time corruption and yet continue to be CM’s of BJP ruled states.

3. Vijay Mallya, the big time defaulter was allowed to leave India by your govt, and nothing has been done to get Lalit Modi back.

4. Even Robert Vadra, the high profile political opponent, is roaming free.

You have been abysmal not only in dealing with the corrupt, but also in dealing with institutionalized corruption. I personally have taken pains to repeatedly bring to your personal notice two such instances, one very big and the other massive; but you have been turning a blind eye to both for past two years.

1. The leakage of public money to the tune of Rs 5000 crores per year through systemic corruption in Railway procurement continues.

2. Fraudulent IPL and cricket not only continue, but more fraudulent leagues like TNPL, KPL have been mushrooming. That is so even when SIT on black money has revealed that lakhs of crores.

3. of rupees worth black money is generated every year through cricket betting. (this should refresh your memory https://www.snapdeal.com/product/underworld-cup/683572663037#bcrumbSearch:underworld%20cup)

Over and above the above, your cabinet has approved the dilution of anti-corruption law for the bureaucrats only last week.

You will kindly appreciate that in the face of these hard realities, many doubts are bound to creep in one’s mind regarding your true intentions. These facts give credence to a theory being widely propagated on social media and by some of your political opponents that your decision to demonetize high denomination notes is to bail out the banks and your industrialist friends at the cost of untold hardship to the Indian public. That’s why it is said that ‘wife of Caesar must be above suspicion.’ We do hope that such theories prove to be ill-founded and your intentions at least now are honest. But you will have to show it through your actions. Mere rhetoric and drama won’t help. Believe me; one can’t fool the public for ever.

There are many voices saying that the black money from Swiss banks should have been brought back first. I can’t agree with that line of thought since it implies that you shouldn’t do anything if you can’t do everything. We are sure you will be continuing to pursue that also side by side. You would not rest at peace after hitting only the poor among the black money hoarders.

In Goa, you wept while telling us that you had left your family and village for the sake of the country. We respect your emotions. But Modi ji, you will appreciate that you have been duly rewarded for your efforts/sacrifice. You have the honour to be the PM of this great country. There are many less fortunate who have made greater sacrifices for this country and have died unknown and unsung. Thousands from the civil and defence forces, crusaders and activists who are murdered, the honest workers at the lowest rung of the society – they all make supreme sacrifice for the society and the country. I doubt whether you and people may even comprehend what sacrifices need to be made in exposing big institutionalized corruption. But that is one’s choice; those who truly sacrifice don’t wear their sacrifices on their sleeves. Modi ji, to be overcome by emotions may work well to impress the masses, but it doesn’t behoove a PM.

You also told us that now you would have many enemies who would try to kill you but you were not scared. That again appeared like cheap drama that didn’t behoove a PM who has full security.

The purpose of this letter is not to belittle or malign you, but it is to impress upon you that having taken the plunge through the bold decision on the 8 th November, you have now no way to go back. You will now have to rise to the occasion, forgetting your past inaction/misdeeds if any, and will have to act against the known corrupt celebrities and leaders. You will have to give us an India of our dreams where..

a) There are no malnourished children and no one dies of hunger.
b) There is total communal and social harmony and friendly relations with our neighbours.
c) The hospitals and health care units will cure people rather than fleecing them.
d) Cost of education is well affordable by the masses and quality to our expectations.
e) Satisfactory civic amenities are easily available to citizens without their having to run from pillar to post and pay bribes.
f) All citizens have a reasonable and honourable standard of living.
g) No one dares to ask for bribes and no one needs to pay bribes.

I know it is not an easy task and it is better said than done. But the people of India have responded to your call by standing in long queues for hours, facing all sorts of hardships, and even dying in scores without much complain even though the other political parties are crying hoarse about their hardships.

Now it is time for you to act and deliver on your promise.

A Responsible Citizen of India
Atul Kumar,
Former IRSS, Indian Railways
16/11/2016