The platoon fights for his commander. Be any decision – right or wrong – as long as the commander is with the platoon leading the charge, the soldiers never shy away from taking the bullet on their chest and never complain of any decision that the commander may have taken.
Dear Mr Modi, you had said, we are in the midst of a war and the citizens, frontline health workers, policemen all are our soldiers. The fight is on, the soldiers are fighting the battle to the last of their breath; but, you seem to be missing from the scene. Your lieutenants say that you are working 24 hours in the background to make things happen and would rather deliver to the nation than talk. Please understand, your presence at the battle scene brings the dying solider back to life. Let the experts do their job and hold them accountable. You please be with the country and talk to them.
While talking to people across different segments of the country, it is very clear that any good or bad of the country is associated with the prime minister. It is wrong on the part of the advisory coterie of BJP, those who media manage the image of PM, to think that they should shield the image of PM by associating the unfolding disaster to state governments and the local leadership and keep the image of PM intact. Otherwise, why a PM who is so fond of coming on media (not talking to them, but giving monologue), is conspicuous by his absence in this trying time when corpses are floating in the holiest of holy river of the world.
Health of people is a state subject, but not the health of entire country. When the health of entire country is at stake, when we are in the midst of a Pandemic which is global in nature and which has put the entire country’s existence at stake, states can not be asked to manage and control it. The virus does not know any boundary. Until the virus is out there even in the smallest and remotest of the corners of the country, the danger of it engulfing the entire country is real. This needs a national approach. No one will oppose the PM from declaring a national emergency and bringing Army to control major supply and distribution of essential items while you focus all your energies on getting entire country vaccinated in a defined time. This has been done in the past several times when election machinery reaches crores of citizens in a single day. What has happened now? Why this inaction?
Last year, Mr PM, you were seen leading the fight from the front. Lot of people thought that the measures taken were too harsh and could have been better calibrated, however in the end every one was with you and entire country gave you a thumbs-up for taking tough decisions and taking the country out of a potential catastrophe. Even those who were severely impacted were largely happy in the end because most of them found their lives safe and their livelihood returning back. One of the old lady that I spoke to last year had this to say, ” Modiji is an avtaar who has been sent on earth to bring back the ancient glory of Bharat”.
Why are you not seen to be leading the charge? Your minister Mr Javdekar has written a long article in the newspaper explaining all the things that your government has done to manage pandemic. Anyone reading it will make out that all that you have done in this regards is to send letters to state governments, sent central advisory teams to the states and create some working groups. Would you yourself think that that is enough? Do you think a karmyogi like you should become recluse meditating in your room? Arjun’s Gandeev is just a stick if it does not have enough arrows and if Arjun does not know how to use. Your arsenal is full of arms, ammunition, tact and strategies – please come out and stand with the people.
Please remember the lessons from history, most of big empires fell because the emperor was surrounded by favor givers and time seekers. I am sad to say Mr PM that when ever I talk to people, I get the same opinion that you are unblemished with pure intentions, but your advisors are inept. Please come out of the cocoon of your advisors who add no value to you. At this time in our country, do not be in illusion that you can only associated yourself with people’s pleasure and avoid the association with their misery. People are associating both with you because for them there is no one who can assuage them. You cannot shield yourself from taking the blame of the misery and anyone who is suggesting that is misleading you towards your downfall. There are tweets going around by your satraps saying that you are working 24 hours in your office. That is only damaging the credibility that you carry with your people.
Mr PM, you should come out with a plan of action. Let us forget all things that happened till yesterday. You should show action starting from today and show a roadmap towards those actions, clearly fix accountability and make that public so that every one knows their roles and responsibilities clearly. The country should focus on containing the virus at all cost. A national lockdown is an immediate necessity. Let essential service keep running with all COVID safe protocols. The wheels of the country can run in isolation. Let us examine the economic fall out of such lockdown and provide food and essentials for the country. Bring a massive national distribution system in place that should alleviate the immediate pain. In parallel drive massive mass immunization program. Create a roadmap and spruce up the supply chain. Ensure you are able to tap in to global supply chain and invest with whoever has capability to build production capacity for additional vaccine. Target to vaccinate entire population with 6 months with all the might at government’s disposal.
My only advice to my PM is that he should talk to the people more and not less in a time when they need him the most. The country is facing disaster of historical proportion and the worst part is they do not have any hope to look forward to. The leader that they have been looking forward to is not coming in front. No one to put a word of solace and show a ray of hope.
I can relay the to you the sense of despair people have by verbatim quoting the same old lady who considered you Avtaar few months ago. She said just last week, ” Bhagwan Ram also had to do prayashchit for his mistakes. Modiji still remains the hope for the country, but prayashchit is the decided by destiny. The country can wait for another ten years”.
Modiji, let your action be your prayaschit. Come and lead your country and lead to victory over the virus.