From: bcsabha.kal...@gmail.com
To:
http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31804&articlexml=POLITICALLY-INCORRECT-Mr-PM-time-to-wake-up-24052015023042
May 24 2015 : The Times of India (Mumbai)POLITICALLY INCORRECT - Mr PM, time to
wake up and smell the masala chaiSHOBHAA DEDear Modiji, The sizzling heat in
India must be getting to you, now that you are back for a brief visit after
several foreign jaunts (18 in 12 months) to cooler climes. Unfortunately , the
welcome home hasn't been terribly enthusiastic, even though it is Janamdin
Mubarak time for your government. Look what you have come back to: Criticism
and taunts. Your report card is being written by hundreds of experts, who
believe they know much more about fixing India's myriad problems than you.
Policy analysts, economists, TV anchors, defence experts, educationists,
lawyers, religious heads, bankers, tycoons, management gurus -even Bollywood
actors. Phew! Your 365 days in office have been deconstructed bit by bit,
studied closely, and passfail marks given. Poor you! Or... poor us! Frankly,
this `report card' exercise has become a bloody bore, don't you agree?
You are definitely not getting the Student of the Year award -but, so what?
Your fans (rapidly dwindling and disillusioned) are still supporting you as the
head boy of India. But even the most dynamic head boy in a pathshala needs a
supportive team to win inter-school events. You are head boy, class monitor,
games captain, house captain, prefect and librarian, all rolled into one. But
your strict principal is just one entity -the citizen of India. And at the
moment, the Indian citizen is naraz. Very naraz.
Citizens can be annoyingly impatient and demanding. The thing is, when you
promised `achhe din', people believed you. Radical plans were announced to get
India get back on its feet. Your way with words charmed everyone -we fell for
the slogans and wah-wahed. `Make in India' was catchy and inspiring. World
leaders started to acknowledge us, and that felt fantastic. You went racing to
visit our neighbours -a good move. You invited khaas mehmaan to India, starting
with Pakistan's Nawaz Sharif. Then came the biggie: Barack Obama. He rejigged
his insane schedule and singled you out -not once, not twice, but thrice. This
was a gigantic international signal. Everyone was maha impressed.
While these heady shows of diplomacy were in full flow, it appears you forgot
all about India. There you were rushing from one foreign capital to the next,
walking the red carpet like Aishwarya Rai at Cannes, and changing as many
outfits too! Your vanity crossed all limits with that tasteless monogrammed
suit that some say cost your party the Delhi election.
Uske baad, it has been downhill all the way ... Image and perception make or
break leaders. The early expectations have been replaced by dejection and
disappointment. No matter how efficiently you responded during the Nepal
crisis, no matter how aggressively you set the foreign policy agenda, the home
truths have been different. People need jobs.
They had hoped your economic policies would create them. People want spiralling
prices to be checked.
That hasn't happened either. If anything, collective morale has been sliding
rapidly and the cost of living has never been higher. Taking advantage of the
dis enchantment, Rahul Gandhi has suddenly woken up from deep slumber and gone
ballistic with the same old pseudo-socialist slogans that had fooled citizens
during his grandmother's rule. You had claimed you wanted to take India forward
-that hasn't happened.
Rahul Gandhi wants to drag it backwards -that is more likely to happen.
Narendrabhai, it's time to wake up and smell the masala chai. Your one year in
office is over. So is our patience. The trait you most need to check is your
conceit. Foreign trips aren't a fancy-dress parade. We understand all this
sho-sha is new for you. It's cute to see your childlike excitement on being
mobbed by desi fans in South Korea. You've mastered the royal wave from the
doors of your Air India aircraft.But India needs more than selfindulgent
photo-ops of their PM jetting around the globe in sorbet coloured designer gear.
It's time you got down to business. Bharat is as un-swachh as it's always been.
Crimes against wom en haven't been curbed. Foul-mouthed Sadhvis and Maharajs
still spout hatred. Our armed forces are waiting for sensible budget outlays to
provide mod ern basics to their men and women. And the Kashmir issue is where
it has always been -stuck in a rut.
Despite these overwhelming odds, Indians are a buoyant lot. In fact, we are
pretty amazing when it comes to survival. Which is why we were deeply hurt by
your insensitive comment during your recent trip to Shanghai and Seoul. Sorry
to say , Modiji, but you should never have made that remark about people
feeling ashamed to be born in India.
No Sir, we are very proud to be born Indian. But the one thing we do need to be
`ashamed' of is the fact that we keep voting for people who let us down.
Bring on the `achhe din' Narendrabhai, and all will be forgiven. Kasam se!
My Times, My Voice: Like this article?
SMS MTMVSD Yes or No to 58888.
Charges applicable. Rs 3 per sms
