An open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Dear Prime Minister Sir,

I am sure it must have been quite embarrassing for you to hear your ministers praising you sky-high for all the achievements over the past eight years. These statements make us believe that nothing has happened before 2014 in the country and all the progress has happened only now. Fair enough. Every politician has the right to make claims.

Apart from the ministers and other BJP leaders, even you appear to be stressing that all that happened pre-2014 is on one side and post 2014 developments are on another side. Undoubtedly, there has been a lot of progress in terms of financial inclusion through PM Jan Dhan, PM Bima Yojana and so on and the digital revolution is something that we should be proud of.

But let us not forget the pangs of demonetisation which has ruined many small businessmen who are yet to recover. Then came Covid-19 and the lockdown, breaking their backs. Frustration that was looming large among the people has turned into public agitations - be it during the farmers' unrest over the farm bills or the youth stirs across the country against the Angniveer scheme. The startup revolution notwithstanding, unemployment continues to haunt us and the official numbers do not lie.

Not many startups enjoy the luxury of prompt funding and not many among the educated unemployed enjoy the mindset to come up with so-called bright ideas. Time will only tell - and very soon at that - as to how many of the startups that we celebrate today will last long. Time will also tell us as to how many of these will fall under the so-called consolidation which is nothing but the proverbial big fish eating the small ones.

Your predecessor Dr Manmohan Singh came out with the Right to Education policy and you have launched the new education policy. So far so good. Even people like Rahul Gandhi, who you hate to the core, asked how many industrialists visited campuses to convey the industry requirements. Unfortunately, not many take Rahul Gandhi seriously and one cannot blame them as this man is thoroughly confused and inconsistent. Just to quote one example, all of us have seen him hugging you in the Lok Sabha and then winking, thus reducing the whole seriousness of the incident. All that apart, he raised valid questions on industry-campus gaps. Is our business or education system talking about this?

Here, I would like to bring into focus Justice N V Ramana, till last week the Chief Justice of India. He said at Amaravati University: "We are witnessing the mushrooming of factories of education which is leading to the devaluation of degrees". Justice Ramana also expressed his anguish at the fact that the focus of professional courses continued to be on the creation of an obedient workforce, like in colonial times, that could generate the required output. He also mentioned that educational institutes must focus on the value of social relationships and conscious citizenship.

The question that arises now is whether the new education policy will strive to achieve this. Much like you talk to students with your Pariksha Pe Charcha or address the nation through your Mann Ki Baat, we feel it is time you started speaking to the industry and campuses on bridging the gap. I am addressing this and many more subjects directly to you rather than any of your ministers or officials since it is your word that matters. Not a single minister finishes his or her speech without praising your vision and guidance. Modi matters, no one else does.

The former CJI also described how the universities earlier were fertile grounds for social movements that shaped nation building sentiments among the people of his generation. Now the social connect seems to be missing and nobody talks about the achievements on this front over the past eight years! While praising the glory of the past eight years, the Amrit Kal dreams talk about the next 25 years.

One of your ministers was heard the other day saying not to view the future with the prism of 2022. All of them hold the carrot of 2047. Mr Modi, you have all the power on the earth to do everything that you want to with a view to achieving your goals and putting your vision to action. Simply put, to walk the talk.

It is quite disheartening to note from your recent speeches that a staggering Rs 2.5 lakh crore is stuck in terms of due to gencos and discoms. Has this problem arisen suddenly? Like the bank NPAs, these defaults also must have piled up over the time. Has nothing been done during the last eight years to address this monstrous crisis? One may ask as to what one PM can do. But your ministers say that you are the master.

Sir, in your Independence Day speech, you mentioned the twin evils of corruption and dynasty politics. You started your career as the PM with the message- Na Khaunga, Na Khane Doonga. Eight years down the line, does corruption still remain a major evil? Time for introspection. While the CBI and ED are doing their respective jobs, it may be a good idea to call for creating a corruption index among all government departments and have an independent global agency of repute to validate. Let there be a competition among Government departments on this front!

Whether the corruption was inherited from pre-2014 legacy or it flourished in the post-2014 era – one thing is clear as you have said: It is like termite. It has to be treated with a strong pest control - strong legal measures in this case, without any favour. I would like to quote another line from Justice Ramana's speeches – while aiming for economic progress, we must not lose sight of our cultural and environmental duty, it would be a grave dishonour to our roots.

This is where the marriage of convenience policy comes into play. Striving to preserve our age-old culture does not mean perpetuation of hatred that the foreign rulers brought in – be it the Mughals or the Britishers. Sir, you always harp on Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (the world is one family). Can this one family philosophy begin at home?

Trolls by your followers speak volumes of hatred. Hate begets hate. We all eloquently quote from our scriptures saying no religion preaches enmity or rivalry. Remaining silent for too long by the top brass on the bottom rank's hate culture is taken as a tacit approval. It is time we called spade a spade and defused hatred with the same speed and force that we strive to kill dynasty politics.

Sir, you mentioned corruption and dynastic politics as the two major evils. Let us add intolerance to this and eradicate the three evils. As regards the environment, the record has been either cosmetic or dismal. I will quote just one case - the policy guideline on post-facto environmental clearances. This means that the green nod can be given after the particular project is built without caring for environmental rules.

This negates the entire process of having prior environmental clearances for projects. Luckily for us, the courts have stayed this. Actually, you could have stayed the circular assuming that it was issued without your knowledge. There are many issues which we have been raising in these columns. Mr Modi, we are happy with your tweet on the World Press Freedom Day in 2014 – "Free press is a democracy & cornerstone & must be preserved in letter & spirit."

On this note, please allow me to say that we are eagerly looking forward to you holding an open Press Conference and addressing all concerns from all sections. Using the digital technology, you may even go for an all-India Media Meet with all State capitals hooked to the National Media Centre. It will be a great feat to watch and help you and your government lay the future roadmap for the nation's development. Let there be questions, because as Big B says in KBC – Koi Bhi Savaal Chota Nahin Hota.

Questioning the establishment in an integral part of democracy where communication is two-way traffic.

Yours sincerely,

B N Kumar