India Tomorrow
New Delhi–Just a day before the announcement of Lok Sabha election dates, a letter was issued on Friday in the name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in which he talks about “several historic and major decisions” like the implementation of GST, abrogation of Article 370 and a new law on Triple Talaq.
However, the letter did not mention the hardships India faced during the last ten years like the continued civil war-like situation in Manipur or the absence of an elected government in Jammu and Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370.
Many BSNL mobile phone users also got this letter both in English and Hindi on their WhatsApp in a group named ‘Viksit Bharat Sampark’ (Developed India Contact). It is not clear if this letter was released in the regional languages also. Many consider this letter as an appeal for a vote by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his third term.
They say that using the government company for this purpose seemed unethical.
The WhatsApp message said, “This letter has been sent by the Government of India under the leadership of Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Ji. In the last ten years, more than 140 crore citizens of India have directly benefited from the various schemes of the Government of India and will continue to benefit in the future.”
The message asked for feedback and suggestions as they are ‘very important to fulfill the aspirations of a Viksit Bharat.’
The letter starts with the address, “My dear family member.” Referring to his becoming the Prime Minister of India, the letter says, “Our partnership is at the threshold of completing a decade. The trust and support of 140 crore Indians inspires and motivates me.”
The letter talks about “the transformation that has taken place in the lives of the people” and declares that as the biggest achievement of the government over the last 10 years.
The letter claims that ‘transformative outcomes’ are the result of the ‘sincere efforts made by a determined government’ to improve the quality of life for the poor, farmers, youth and women.
The letter mentions many decisions of the Modi government as historic including the “implementation of GST, abrogation of Article 370, new law on Triple Talaq, Nari Shakti Vandan Act to enhance women’s participation in Parliament, the inauguration of new Parliament building and strong steps against terrorism and Left-Wing Extremism.”
The implementation of GST which was called as Gabbar Singh Tax by opposition leader Rahul Gandhi has been included in the ‘historic decisions’. But many business organisations say that GST has brought hardships to small traders.
The letter does not mention the Demonetization which once was hailed as a historic decision by Prime Minister Modi. It may be recalled the whole of India was put under immense problems as the sudden decision left the country in an unprecedented cash crunch. At that time, the banks saw huge lines of people withdrawing money or depositing the old currency.
The letter claims that the abrogation of Article 370 was a historic decision but the people of Jammu and Kashmir are still waiting for an elected government even after five years and a Supreme Court verdict ruling for an election as soon as possible. There is a huge resentment in Ladakh even after the bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir, and the declaration of Ladakh as a Union Territory.
The ethnic violence between Meitei and Kuki communities in Manipur that started May 3 last year caused the death of over 200 people but Prime Minister Modi did not visit the state. This is a glaring example of the failure of PM Modi as the state has the so-called ‘double engine’ government as BJP’s N Biren Singh is the chief minister there.
The letter tries to give a false impression that the new law on Triple Talaq was a ‘historic decision’ but the fact is that Muslim women were treated with utmost disregard during the last ten years. The remission given to the rape convicts of Bilkis Bano is a glaring example of that.
The last 10 year’s rule was also a disaster for the minorities of India, particularly the Muslim minority. The cases of mob lynching against the Muslims rose to a glaring level. The hate speech and hate crime issue has been a big challenge for the Muslim community and the Central government failed miserably in controlling that. In fact, a few ministers and Members of Parliament were involved in hate speech. It happened even in the Parliament against an MP Kunwar Danish Ali who was made target of hate speech by BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri.
The misuse of UAPA is also a blot on Modi’s ten years regime. The case of human right activists put in jail is one such example. The student leader Umar Khalid is still in jail without any trial for over four years.
Interestingly, the letter avoids mentioning the Ram Mandir which tops the Bhartiya Janata Party’s election agenda.
The letter talks about, “The success of efforts such as pucca houses through Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, access to electricity, water and LPG for all, free medical treatments through Ayushman Bharat, financial help to farmers, assistance to women through Matru Vandana Yojana.”
The letter talks about “the immense strength to take bold decisions for the nation’s welfare, draw up aspirational plans and implement them smoothly.”
