Dear Narendra'Ji,
I write to you knowing fully that there is very
less chance of this real long mail reaching up to you. I will certainly send it
to your social media team just to ensure that the views of an ‘aam’ urban
‘admi’ like me do count and give you a sense of how the new
India thinks.
Let me begin my mail by saying HUGE CONGRATULATIONS! What a spectacular
win! When I pressed the button beside the lotus on EVM, I couldn’t imagine that
the mandate will be this BIG. Let me congratulate your prime partner in this
amazing electoral journey, Mr. Amit Shah. He certainly knows some magical
secrets that whatever he touches turn to lotus! Congratulations to your hard
working ‘karyakartas’, creative media managers, intelligent political strategists,
best in the business event managers, every team members behind this magic
numbers - what a seamless coordination!
Now why do I choose to write this mail? Because I don't want to limit my
participation in this vibrant democracy just by criticising, complaining and
trolling loosely. I am making a serious effort to directly reach out to you
just at the onset of your second stint as our honourable PM. This probably is
an emotional outburst. I thought of writing down my random thoughts that
display hopes, concerns and expectations.
Chupchap Padma Phule Chhap - The quiet transition towards Saffron in
Bengal
I did sense a storm when a very close family member who couldn't think
beyond the Left symbol all her
life pressed the button beside lotus this time. She was candid in saying that
she doesn’t expect her CM to speak the language she speaks and the way she
speaks. What my close relative meant are civility and humility in politics.
Shameless exhibitions of arrogance in politics costs dear and exactly that has
happened in Bengal – what I sensed as a storm turned into a tsunami of sort.
This very arrogance of the Left party
men had made me, son of a local committee member of CPI(M), vote for TMC in
2011 to teach the incumbent government a lesson. Dear Narendra’Ji, please don't
miss out on the percentage of vote share that our ruling party in the state has
managed even this time. Didi still rules the hearts and minds of a sizeable pie
in West Bengal. Didi's brothers and sisters did a good job as far as bringing
the cosmetic changes in Bengal are concerned. We have much better roads and beautified
parks now throughout out the state. Barring few areas, cities and villages are
much cleaner and more liveable. In order to win the confidence of Didi
supporters, please don’t let your team to use the same techniques that we are
tired of - politics of violence and appeasement.
Didi has cordially tried to woo the attention of industries through her
impressive campaign Bengal Leads but unfortunately many of the MOUs signed did
not translate into business. Somehow the long Left rule, the ‘Cholbe
Na’ culture that it brought along and the terror of purely TMC endorsed ‘Syndicate
Raj’ have over shadowed her efforts. Or is it her ultra-left activities and the
traditional portrait of lazy Bengali image that has unfortunately been tagged
to the state couldn’t win the confidence of the investors!
Poribortoner Poriborton – The change of change
We did change our ruler in 2011. Many of us did know that was a movement
out of the frying pan into the fire. Still we took a chance and glad we did. It
was a symbolic change to mark that the people of Bengal too can say NO. We were
taken for granted for a little too long by the ‘Bhodrolok’ – gentlemen Left
front leaders. A state that led from the front in
the freedom movement steadily lost its relevance in the national scene by misrule year after year.
If we do not correct our path now, it will be indeed too late and that’s
another reason, you must have noticed, people of Bengal are looking up to you.
Please don’t make them disheartened. Many of them voted for lotus even without
knowing anything about the local BJP candidate. For that matter I too had no
idea about the BJP candidate at our constituency as none from the BJP reached
out to us in our area.
As your next important initiative to attract the attention of urban
Bengal voters, please get us some impressive leaders. You will certainly need
doers and executers on the ground but please induct some leaders with global
vision and exposure to understand and articulate the urban aspirations too. I
think Bengal misses out on that balance now. Very importantly also let us
understand that who will be our Chief Minister if BJP is voted to power in the
next assembly election. We would ideally like to have a strong leader like you
who is equally at ease with the mass and class. Someone who could bring back
the lost glory of Bengal. A leader who can safeguard the interest of Bengal
as a multicultural state. Who will be equally comfortable attending Durga or
Kali Puja along with celebrations of Christmas and Eid. The last thing that the
people of Bengal would love to endorse is the mere change of flag colour by
various political goons to enjoy the BJP’s political clout.
A humble request to the top leadership of BJP is not to miss out on the
abilities of Bengali minds who are contributing enormously all over the world –
it’s high time we get them back at home and make Bengal enriched with their
talents. Bengal needs industries, employments, opportunities keeping in mind
the phrase coined by our erstwhile Left Front government ‘krishi amader bhitti,
shilpo amader bhobishyot’ – agriculture is our foundation and industry is our
future. We can’t ignore the aspirations of farmers while looking at the bright
sides of the industrialisation.
Sabka Saath
Sabka Vikas
I love the phrase ‘Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas’. Unfortunately, often the narrative
of your developmental agenda get overshadowed by the parallel narratives. My
work sometimes takes me out of the country and when people ask me questions
about cow vigilantism and the deaths over it – I feel extremely uncomfortable.
I certainly tell them that the things are much different in reality and ours is
a nation with 201 million Muslim population, the largest Muslim population
outside any Muslim majority country. I’m absolutely there with you as far as
illegal animal trafficking is concerned but why would people be made isolated
just for their food habits! Is it not very personal in nature! We worship
almost every elements of the nature in this part of the world to respect them
and protect them – would we stop using all of them and stop consuming their
products! It feels disturbing when videos of mob lynching surface where we see
people are harassed quite brutally.
Few weeks back I felt extremely uncomfortable when a learned friend of
mine found me echoing the voice of Pakistan Prime Ministerjust for expressing
my views against a full-fledged war. I was lucky that it remained confined into
exchange of couple of FB messages. In Bengal and outside of it too, people are
jailed for expressing views against the main stream. Often they are labelled anti-national!!!
I would expect the state would protect people like us who are probably minority
of different sort – minority with uncommon views. I would expect you will
ensure that people like me will feel safe and efforts will be made to make
India more tolerant or willing to accept every views. I would also expect that
you will be tough with many prominent BJP leaders of various age groups sending
people with independent views to Pakistan, left, right and centre.
You very rightly put it that you are the Pradhan Sevak of every Indian.
I’m sure by every Indian you mean all of us, irrespective of our religions,
casts, creeds, faiths, political affiliations, food habits, genders or
preference of sexuality for that matter.
Dear Pradhan Sevak’Ji, I would look forward to your strong vigilance
that the parallel narratives do not dent the image of the country. I did notice
your latest call - Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas and Sabka Vishwas. Critical, indeed.
‘Government School Wahin Banayenge’
Dear Modi’Ji, your second stint should be remembered by generations for
its education reforms. Crores of government money are going down the drain and
students are learning nothing. Ms. Atishi Marlena came across as quite a breath
of fresh air. Unfortunately she is not a part of your army. Her well measured
and aptly researched ideas have brought remarkable positive changes in the
government schools in Delhi. Can you induct her into your ‘fauj’ and bring
about the necessary changes in the education policy of India. Please scout for
more Atishisi to realise your vision of a New India. It will be
possible only through education. I quite love the slogan that Atishi used this
election - ‘Government School Wahin Banayenge’.
Make In India – India Educates
I too dream of a New India and as mentioned before education is the key.
To participate in the process I set out with my humble initiative called India Educates. It promotes Indian education abroad and now also
within India. I started my organisation in 2015 and still upbeat about it. We
must get the lost glory of Indian education back. Your encouraging mantra of
‘Make In India’ was one of the inspirations for me and the movement must
continue in every spheres of the nation.
Can We Let Shri Ram Chandra Take Some Rest?
Do you think making all the BJP followers chant ‘Jay Shri Ram’ across
the length and breadth of the nation is a move that could be done away with?
Aren’t spontaneous and neutral ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jay’ or ‘Vande Mataram’ are
perfect enough to show respect to our dear motherland? Religious slogans may
not be the best of ideas to represent a national party as big as BJP. Trust me,
people of Bengal have voted for you and not Shri Ram Chandra. Doing away with
the religious slogans will reassure ‘Sabka Sath and Vishwas’. I’m sure you
would like to serve the followers of Maa Durga, Kali, Lord BalaJi, JagannathaJi
or Jesus, Allah and many forms of worshipped gods as much as the followers of
Shri Ram Chandra.
Modi Hai To Mumkin Hai
I think unarguably you are one of the top orators and strong leaders
that world has today. I like your decisiveness and clarity in your thoughts . You understand the pulse of the nation like very
less people do. Majority of the people have mandated that they have no problem
in what you do be it your frequent foreign visits, introduction of GST or
demonetisation.
It’s certainly expected out of any leader to have massive reach out
drive and as a nation head, you did the right thing by reaching out to other
world leaders. A section of people do talk about the huge amount of money spent
in that exercise but they fail to take a note of the point that there always
will be an opportunity cost. India certainly is seen as a stronger republic
under your unique leadership. Demonetisation had raised a lot of uncomfortable
questions. I’m not that learned economic expert but I still do not see any
problem in the stated intention of it. As far as GST is concerned, it may need
functional reviews but again the credit of rolling it out finally will always
go to you. So to cut the long story short – please continue with your bold
reformative steps if that impacts India positively.
Dear Pradhan MantriJi, can you present us that New India where elections
will be fought with issues like who will plant more trees, who has a better
plan to clean the rivers, who has a better anti-pollution arrangement in place,
who will induct more ‘qualified’ teachers in the education system, who will
improve the infrastructure of more government schools, who will introduce
incentives for clubs to go Green and spread Green. The wish list is too long… probably too long because the politics of dynasts
have failed India miserably. Let me stop here by just adding a few last lines.
You did announce some wonderful initiatives in your first stint – be it
Swachh Bharat, Make in India, Namami Gange, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, Ujwal
Bharat, Jan Dhan, Pradhan Mantri Awas, Digital India and many more, please do
review the status of those and finish them because seldom a leader gets the
opportunity to serve a nation the way you have earned it for yourself. Please
don’t listen to the trolls as 'Kuch Toh Log Kahenge'…
A robust majority of the world’s largest democracy have loved to believe
that - 'Modi Hai To Mumkin Hai'.
Best wishes! Once again many congratulations!
Warm regards.
Pratik Tarafdar
An admirer who loves to
speak his mind.30th May, 2019
### All the views expressed are completely personal in nature. This certainly is not an attempt to hurt anyone’s religious and political feelings and ideologies. People disproportionately ‘sensitive’ about others’ views are humbly requested to ignore my blog.
