To,
The Prime Minister
Republic of India
New Delhi
Subject: Letter from a commoner
Dear Mr. Prime Minister,
Greetings for the day..!!
I hope that this letter finds you in best of health and conscience.
First of all, I congratulate you for serving this country as a Prime Minister for more than 7 years. I really admire when you stand tall at the Red Fort every year on 15th of August – the day of immense patriotism and express your thoughts as a Prime Minister of a country which is still in deep slumber.
Even you would agree to the fact that the events that have unfolded before us over the last several months does not make any of us proud or indeed happy about our moral compass as a nation that stands shoulder with the rest of the world. Many of us consider you guilty for not speaking enough about these matters in the past but still you can ‘regain’ regards for yourself if you do so now with the utmost conviction.
It’s always good to hear which you highlight some of our achievements for the year by standing on the ramparts of the historic monument – The Red Fort.
If we recap the past few months, we can see that as a nation we have achieved few milestones. As a result of our social and economic policies, we could lift tens of millions of people above the poverty line. Secondly, as a nation we achieved a world leading growth rate of over 8%. Also the FDI inflows reached record levels and major sectors were deregulated further to allow for better productivity and job creation. In addition to this, the tele-density, electricity-density and broadband access rose considerably to reach even the remotest areas.
As a member of G-20 and WTO, we could increase our leverage with other power by negotiating significant trade and nuclear agreements for ourselves. Furthermore, Women and ‘Dalits’ now form more than one-third of our elected representatives, thereby ensuring that their voices are amply heard.
This list is quite long and I personally thank you for your wonderful leadership and contribution in each of our achievements as a nation. But at the same time, I feel very sorry to mention to you that you have failed to feel the pain in our hearts and the wariness of our spirits.
Unfortunately, the list of scam-tainted issues is also very long. These events have cast such a cloud of aspersion on our achievements as a great nation that they have thrown into doubts even the relevance and sanctity of some of our finest democratic institutions.
In the reply to my letter, you can either defend your government or lay the blame at someone else’s door. I am sure that you would have had many occasions to do so and will continue to have many more. But I would only accept you as a true leader if you accept your blunders and request your countrymen to for one more chance to redeem the faith and trust in you.
The dead end is not far. With each passing day, your sustainability is getting questioned. If you want to stay awake to see tomorrow’s rising sun, you are expected to outline certain plans and strategies which could wash away your sins.
You could still re-enact a strong anti-corruption law, which could include effective whistleblower protection and swift justice, which will weed out this menace that afflicts our country. We all are painfully aware that this menace has touched each and every one of us in some form. Ours is a democracy of the people and it’s you who can ensure that we are proud of what we collectively put out. You can justify your position by ensuring that your office is included in the purview of such a law for which, you as Dr. Manmohan Singh must lead by example, as should every member of every public service in this country of ours.
You should also promise that your team shall be available to the commoners via public forums, including the internet, to listen to their feedback and grievances. You should also ensure coordination, due deliberation and time-bound decisions amongst all members of your cabinet with full accountability and transparency. All decisions should stand the test of fairness and professionalism. The common man’s interest should be the end goal and this intent should never be suspected.
Further to improve governance standards, you should instruct all ministers and bureaucrats to make at least two field visits, one announced and the other unannounced, to their respective constituencies - schools, hospitals, public services, offices, police stations, ration offices, Railways, post and telegraph, passport and the like - to ensure their smooth functioning. Additionally, your office should review the service delivery mechanisms of each ministry on a quarterly basis to ensure that those are kept honest and efficient.
Also, our borders are secure because our defense forces and you should ensure that our safety, security, sovereignty and freedom to live, as we desire, are not compromised under any circumstances. We expect you to be thankful to our free although not always fair media for their constant hawk eye on us. I am sure they will be equal partners in the enormous tasks that lie before you and your team.
We are a nation of high accomplishments. We have many more milestones to reach. We may not have put a man on the moon yet but we certainly made a woman capable of going to space. And let us each do our part on this road to collective excellence. Let us resolve that we all too shall fully comply with the law of our land and deliver on our citizen responsibilities.
My dear Prime Minister, it is time to reclaim our destiny. And we do not have a moment to waste. I am confident that with our trust on you and your team, we shall win together as a nation.
Jai Hind.
Warm Regards,
Varinder Singh
An Indian
