Why Modi Must Go: An open letter to PM Narendra Modi 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi lamented the other day that Congress appeared resentful of everything that he and his party were proud of. In a way he is right but why the Congress alone, Prime Minister? Most of us, in fact close to 70 per cent of Indians did not approve of you and what you did and said even in 2014. We positively resented what you stood for.

Many of us, to be truthful, are hoping that this figure will swell in the election being held in 2019. Only a small minority of all the valid voters to the 16th Lok Sabha comprising just 31.34 per cent voted for you, while 68.66 voted against you, notwithstanding the fact that their votes remained divided, giving you the advantage of first past the post, the standard rule in the Indian electoral system.

Yes, sir, our resentment has actually grown after you became the Prime Minister. Would you care to recall your very first action after assuming office? It was scrapping the Land Acquisition Bill passed by the previous UPA government. That was a landmark law empowering the rural land owning class against the Urban land sharks who were grabbing farmers’ land across the country.

You patronised the land sharks in Gujarat as the state’s chief minister. People do remember how you allotted land at throwaway prices to corporate giants Tatas at Sanand, setting aside all norms.

You attempted to do the same the moment you came to Delhi and tried to subvert the due democratic process through an Ordinance, not once but several times, each time the Rajya Sabha, where you lacked numbers, came in the way and rejected it. That was your first act.

We resented Prime Minister your snide remarks against MNREGA, making a mockery of a scheme which all objective observers considered a landmark measure providing guaranteed employment and wages to a vast section of rural poor. You mocked it in Parliament and though you did not dare scrap it, fearful of the consequences, you sabotaged it, starving the scheme of funds. We resented the arbitrary Demonetisation which affected the poor, middle class and the lower middle class adversely. Housewives lost their hard-earned savings, workers lost their jobs and not one rich person suffered while you stood on foreign soil, gloating and mocking at the people. You have not apologised to the people of this country even after Demonetisation has been exposed as a scam and even after it is now proved that none of its objectives, which you so dramatically declared in your address to the nation, were met.

We are resentful, sir, because you have sabotaged and subverted every institution of the country. Even if a new Government replaces yours in the 17th Lok Sabha, we are not sure how long it would take for institutions like the higher judiciary, the Election Commission, the RBI, the CVC and the CBI to recover their credibility and neutrality.

No previous Government felt the need to stage a midnight coup to oust a CBI Director. What was the urgency, sir, for installing an interim director at 2 am ? Could it be the fear that the CBI director would unlock a can of worms by ordering an inquiry against the Special Director Rakesh Asthana of the Gujarat cadre? You have not cared to come up with an explanation so far, sir, even though you speak endlessly every day. We resent your hypocrisy, Prime Minister on the GST. First you opposed and blocked it when the UPA under Dr Manmohan Singh finalised the Bill. When your Government finally introduced the Bill in a midnight drama, your Government had made such a hash of it that the country is still paying the price and small traders, businesses and entrepreneurs have suffered.

We resent your cronyism and complete disregard for national security. You have not explained why you reduced the number of Rafale jets that the Indian Air Force wanted from 126 to just 36. You have still not explained why Hindustan aeronautics was discarded in favour of a two-week old firm of Anil Ambani. You still have not explained, sir, how Rs 60 thousand Crore paid for 36 planes is a better deal than Rs 90 thousand Crore negotiated for supply of 126 planes.

We resent your communal and casteist bias against Muslims and Dalits. Yes, we do resent you and hope you lose this election.