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An Open Letter to
Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Maananeeya Pradhan Mantri Narendra Modiji, Jai Shree Krishna!
Hope this finds you hale and hearty and in good spirit in the midst of all your multifarious activities.This is my second open letter to your honourable self. The first was sometime in April 2012, published in Issues & Concerns in its May 2012 issue. That was the period you were in the zenith of your popularity. The Godhra carnage and the mayhem that followed had completed 10 years. Came 2014, your party BJP decided to close rank and proposed you as the party’s Prime Minister candidate for the Loksabha election due in May 2014. Rest, as the cliché goes is history. The slogan ‘Abki Baar Modi Sarcar’ gave your party and your partners in NDA, an unprecedented victory. Thus ‘Abki Baar Modi Sarcar’ became a resounding reality in India’s public life.

Modiji, whether, as the Prime Minister of India, or as Chief Minister of Gujarat, your former avataar, or plainly as Narendra Damodardas Modi, no other person has ever been written, in such endearing terms and pathological hatred at the same time. If those who did not like you are innumerable, even those who admired you are a legion.
While the reported human pettiness of not paying few rupees as cost of tea, on the Godhra railway station platform, could lead to the horrendous retribution of torching a bogie, blocking all escape routes leading to the burning alive of some 60 humans, what followed, led to the completely senseless death of some 2000 people, most of them so remotely connected, has made Ahmadabad mayhem a completely disproportionate reaction.
You were Chief Minister of Gujarath at the time of this dark episode in the contemporary history of India. Your complicity, although alleged, could never be proved. May be you are innocent. But, after you announced Rs. 2 lakh compensation for Godhra victim, you exposed your quirkiness when you announced compensation to the riot victims of Rs 1 lakh only. It was clearly a bias, that free India never practiced, unlike Arabs against non-Arabs and non-Muslims, or whites against blacks and not whites. Besides, didn’t you have the vicarious responsibility as the CEO of the state?! But you steadfastly refused to express regret for the failure of the official machinery for the collapse of law and order during those dark days. Come Feb 2016, the Gujarath carnage would complete 14 long years.
Amendments from all have improved the atmosphere among different sections of Gujarath. Election 2014 May, to Loksabha, catapulted you to the position of top-executive of the country, despite, Mani Shankar Aiyars and Anantha Murthys. Your acceptance speech was epochal in its depth. “There are no enemies in politics. It is our responsibility to take everyone along” “various governments in the past tried to do some good work in their own way, for which they deserve appreciation”, were some of the gems of your conciliatory noises that you made. You gave glimpses of your being humble on the big stage, when you bowed at the entrance to the parliament and touched your forehead on its steps. This act won you millions of hearts. Indians of all hues, not just the 31% who voted for you, even others envisioned in you to be a great leader. Your being without the weakness of women, wine and wealth added lustre to your persona. Suddenly most Indians thought, we have, at long last, a leader we can be proud of.
August 2014, 15th Aug, followed. It was like that Latin idiom “Veni Vidi Vici”. You came, you saw and you conquered from the ramparts of Red Fort. You came to New Delhi’s corridors of power for the first time, and came as the Chief Executive of the world’s largest democracy, despite being a rank outsider. You spoke from the open podium although there existed a huge risk of attack. You inspired everybody to stand up and be counted in the task of nation building. You promised a more inclusive India taking everybody along on the path of faster sustainable growth. Your declaration that you are the pradhan sevak and not Pradhan Mantri, clicked instantly with the vast majority of Indians. You shocked the Delhiites by speaking about the Delhi’s work culture, of coming late, of absenteeism, infighting within the department and between departments.
You signaled your priorities. Swatch Bhaarath Abhiyaan, separate toilets for boys and girls in all schools across the country by 15th Aug 2015. In your address to the nation, you gave credit, to all previous prime ministers and their governments for the development that country witnessed so far. That was indeed very statesman like. It was a clear indication that you will go for consensual politics rather than politics of confrontation. Right enough, The Hindu, in its 16th Aug 2014 editorial had observed “If his speech, shorn of hype but full of hope, is any indication, Mr Modi looks ready to make the transition from a skilled political orator to an able administrator”. For someone, who did not give you even a passing mark in the past, it was a complete metamorphosis. You gave ample impression that you will lead the nation from front.
“Good days are coming” has been your clarion call in the campaign to Election 2014. But looking  back at your 18 months’ sojourn in the all India governance, although burre din have not come, aache din does not look very promising as of now.
You promised 15 lakhs in every bank a/c from the black money stashed abroad. Will it ever come, or it was just to fool gullible people! Your slogan ‘My her vaade ko poora karoonga’, and promised education for everyone, but your first full budget, reduced the allocation for education.
Showing humility, after the victory, you were gracious in saying while accepting the leadership of the treasury benches “there are no enemies in politics. It is our responsibility to take everybody along”. But what is the story of the last 18 months? The entire opposition seem to have ganged up against BJP in general and Modi in particular.
It is true that you and your government was not involved  in any scam, but your stubbornness, your refusal to see the point the other side is making, is a stumbling block for any meaningful dialogue on building consensual relationship between the government and the governed. Take for instance, the appointment of Smriti Irani, as HRD minister. There has been public outcry, not just the opposition criticism on this appointment. She is not even a graduate. It was like promoting a primary school teacher to the position of college Principal, just because you like the person. You couldn’t get one party man or from your combine, a person properly qualified to understand the human resource scenario of the country, whom both the academia and the political class can hold in respect!
You tried the ordinance way thrice for the Land acquisition bill, and tried all tricks but ended up withdrawing it. I am sure you have the realization that you cannot rob Peter to pay Paul. Yet you persisted with your no debate agenda to the chagrin even to your mother organization, the RSS. The number at Rajya Sabha is what you are trying now to improve, so that you can force your legislation. Thus you are trying to give an impression that, with the help of numbers, ‘hell with the opposition,’ ‘hell with the parliament debate.’ ‘I will do what I want.’ No Mr. Modi, Bihar is a lesson you should not forget. It can come back to haunt you. Please remember Rajeev Gandhi. He got 414 seats in 1984, absolutely unprecedented. But failed to have even a simple majority after 5 years down the line. You have the benefit of history. Your 284 will not take long to evaporate, as it happened to Rajeev Gandhi. But you are more capable, more dynamic, you mean well for the country, you are personally clean, hence you are a gift to this country. You have the potential to deliver. If you fail, it is sad for India. Because, there are many positives in you, that not many are comparable to you. Do not let your ego to come in the way. You had a chance to say ‘sorry’ for Gujarat mayhem, your ego stopped you from expressing regret. It would have helped you build the bridge with the group that suffered, rightly or wrongly. Your stock would have sky rocketed. Now you have the 2nd chance to build this bridge with all stake holders. All political parties are there in the business of doing good to the people in different degrees. But some do it more for themselves, their families and cronies, but still do some good for the people, like Lalu Prasad Yadav, or Mulaayam Sing Yadav or Bangarappa or Yadiyoorappa. Hence, building bridge with these people for the national good, should not be an issue of ego. If you cannot beat them, you can join them. You tried to beat AAP in Delhi but failed, you tried it in Bihar and you have failed there too. But it is possible to build friendship with both Kejriwal and Nitish Kumar for the national good.
It was way back in Oct 2014, we at I&C had written “Certainly Modi is creating a new bench mark for any future prime ministers in his attempt to take every one along. He clearly recognizes the difference between a poll campaigner and a Prime Minister. Fortunately for Modi, his greatest strength comes from his personal integrity. Except his sartorial obsession, there does not appear to be anything expensive about him. His personal habits are supposedly frugal. No woman and wine, nor the attraction for wealth. Therefore at 63, his energy level is phenomenal.”
Similarly recapitulating the year that went by in Jan. 2015, I & C had commented “Narendra Modi is another phenomena, that came with the roar of an untamed lion. He has redrawn the political behavior unseen or unheard earlier, whether it was his prostrated entry into the parliament complex or his Independence Day speech. They were class apart”.
Since then, some water has certainly flown down the bridge. Surely, your personal integrity is not in doubt.
Your decision to do away with those party seniors, including members of parliament, who are 75 and above, surely has its merits. But the way you pushed it down, without even taking those seniors on board, is a classic case of arrogance. As Prime Minister, surely you have your prerogatives. But then there is something like a respect to the aged. These elders, like LK Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi have worked for the party through thick and thin. None can dump them unceremoniously. Was Yashwant Sinha, a Finance Minister in Vajpayee government, wrong when he said “On 26th May 2014, in BJP those who are above 75 were declared brain dead?” ‘Lend thy ears but reserve thy judgement’ is an oft repeated idom of wisdom. It keeps every body in good humour. Would the sky have fallen, if you had created a consultative body of these elders? They could have given their well meaning matured measured advices in managing opposition. But you ignored them comprehensively, telling them ‘I know better!’ Distance from senior party leaders is a common complaint, besides refusal to share power. Please realize this has not gone down well with people who supported you. Amit Shah is your man. The knowledge that he is your man, has made Amit Shah haughty and incommunicado. He needs to be reined.
Intolerance debate is something you do not have to be unduly worried about. But your intention to deal with stupid and unlawful elements, including motormouths of the party should be clear and action oriented.
Your not so firm reactions and responses on the alleged instances of intolerance have certainly not inspired confidence in people. There is an element of casualness. This has to change, not only for the health of your party, so also that of the nation. What happened at Dadri is dastardly. SN Chary, a former professor at IIM Bengalooru wrote “Stocking beef has invited lynching and killing. Hindutva is inching closure to Talibanism. There is no remorse in the camp of perpetrators. On the contrary ministers and MPs have come in support” Modiji, is it wrong?! Your response, the professor stated further “even when Prime Minister responded, after initial silence, he sadly disappointed with his guarded words and in general platitudes”. He is not far from truth. There were three instances, in less than two months, in Haryana, of atrocity against Dalits. 2 kids were burnt alive, one as small as 9 months, one 40 year old man beaten to death at a marriage venue, and a father & daughter duo, were smeared with cow dung on their face for rambling into a household.   Among the problems haunting the nation is the continued spate of suicides by farmers in different parts of India, and demand for an overhaul of policies affecting agriculture, is fair. You need to be open to listen to cries of desperation from the annadaata to the nation. P. Sainath, is a known voice of agrarian crisis in India. If you mean well to India in general and the farming community in particular, bring him on board. He can be a great source of honest help.
The country is aware that India never had a better salesman then Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Your foreign travel, From Montreal to Michigan, Manchester to Melbourne to Malaysia and other destinations have been success stories. They certainly have improved the Indian stock. For an 18 month old Prime minister, it’s been terrific. In coming years, it is hoped that these overtures shall pay rich dividends. But Modiji, India is not on those distant foreign lands, they are nearer home, in those hundreds and thousands of villages across India. You need to know these villages better.
The heavy emphasis on the so-called ‘growth’ during your foreign visits and your interaction with the Indian diaspora and foreign business leaders, has left the individual back home on the back burner. You must recognize any lopsided growth can be counterproductive. Aren’t, poverty, malnutrition and unemployment still our major scourges even after 68 years of planned economic development? Last year UN reported that the 3rd of the world's poorest live in India, besides the highest rate of child mortality and the highest number of child workers. Isn’t it a national shame that the rate of underweight children in India is double that of sub-Saharan Africa?! Shouldn’t your NITI Ayog address these concerns!? Is there a need for a matured population policy!?
Writing on ‘Global Capitalism and the Death of Democracy’, economist Noreena Hertz of University of Cambridge writes “Wealth does not always trickle down. There are limits to growth. The state will not protect us. A society guided only by the invisible hand of the market is not only imperfect but also unjust.”
“Human rights are violated not only by terrorism, repression or assassination, but also by unfair economic structure that create huge inequalities” said Pope Francis I. Can you prove them wrong?!
Opening of FDI has to be people centric. An FDI which cannot help India achieve better HDI (Human Development Index) is bound to fail in the long run. The idea of governance should be to achieve a JUST SOCIETY, leading to the empowerment of the last man on the development ladder.  
‘Ooper Shervani andar pareshaani’ is a story of India in perspective. Unless you address this, it is like one more government coming, doing something, and getting lost like all earlier governments. Lot of hope was invested in you in particular and your government in general, when you were voted in 2014. You cannot come back in 2019, if you are not serious to address, equally seriously, those issues at hand. It is for you to take the call, while there is still time.

Yours ever Indian.  

Jayaram Shriyan