Dear Mr. Rahul Gandhi,
I am sure that you do realize, as much as I do, that your surname does convey an impression that you are a legatee to Mahatma Gandhi. I am not blaming you for that. It so happened at some point. However you could have made amends by way of inheriting some of Bapu’s qualities and the most important among them being brutally honest. I presume you know that Bapu lived in a manner that he represented the change he wanted in his own life and laid down his life in the course of living that way.
He refused the entrants to the Birla House from being frisked even while there was a feeling that his life was in danger. Nathuram Godse, the one who killed that apostle of peace in the evening on January 30, 1948, could not have achieved what he did if there was frisking that day. He could not have walked in to the lawns to shoot down the Mahatma. Well. The Bapu may have lived longer but not the way he wanted to.
I am constrained to tell this to you given the frequent trips you undertake to various parts of the country and travel in ordinary coaches and the promptness with which the media celebrates such instances. But the immediate provocation to do this comes from the news of corruption or favouritism shown by the ISRO, among the organizations directly under your Prime Minister, parceling out scarce spectrum to a private agency for no price at all. We all know, by this time, the details of the sweet deal by which a private agency with monetary links to foreign players had landed.
We are also aware that the government, sometimes in July 2010, began to rethink on the deal (for reasons best known to Manmohan Singh and some of his close associates) but then found itself in a bind against doing that summarily. The contract obligations were such that it is not easy to renege on the commitment and the Law Ministry was put on the job to find how to extricate from it. I am sure you will know as much as I do, that spectrum is a scarce commodity and there is no justification for anyone to have it free and worse when the deal allows the private player –Devas Communications – to sell it to whoever it wanted. The contract even says that ISRO too will have to buy spectrum from Devas if it wanted.
The old saying that you need not be a rocket scientist to realize that this is daylight loot of public wealth applies here more than anywhere else. The rocket scientists were behind this deal and our own Prime Minister, whom you described as impeccable presides over the department. Rahul, you are silent on all these. You did talk about one Prabhawati while defending the 123 civil nuclear deal and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Parliament. Don’t you think you must speak up for that Prabhawatis again. Their wealth is being looted and you are not heard anywhere.
I do know, as much as you do, that Manmohan Singh cannot speak against what you say. But then, it is important that you persist with what you say. You went to Udayagiri in Orissa and spoke about the need to preserve the nature and the hills. Your message went down well and the Posco project was exposed: A committee consisting of people close to you exposed all that were wrong with the project and Jairam Ramesh followed it up with some bold measures. But then, you did not show interest in that and ended up in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh and elsewhere and Manmohan Singh managed to pressure Jairam Ramesh undo what he did earlier.
I recall all this because you seem to be a source of power and inspiration. You will, hence, have to speak your mind on the ISRO scandal and also on the sad episode where we all know that A Raja sold spectrum to some people who in turn sold the same for prices several times than they bought. We now hear many things about the money trail. It is impossible that such things do not reach your ears. Those whom you recruit to the Youth Congress must be asked to convey whatever they hear. You must realize that popular perception is an important thing in public life and democracy.
Well. I know there is a lot to do for you. But then, you have assumed a role, by your own choice, and there is no escape from taking up all these and more. And let me conclude now. You have the choice to remain silent on all these and do what you are best at: To indulge in theatrics. But then, that will only confirm that you are no different from the others.
I am sure that you do realize, as much as I do, that your surname does convey an impression that you are a legatee to Mahatma Gandhi. I am not blaming you for that. It so happened at some point. However you could have made amends by way of inheriting some of Bapu’s qualities and the most important among them being brutally honest. I presume you know that Bapu lived in a manner that he represented the change he wanted in his own life and laid down his life in the course of living that way.
He refused the entrants to the Birla House from being frisked even while there was a feeling that his life was in danger. Nathuram Godse, the one who killed that apostle of peace in the evening on January 30, 1948, could not have achieved what he did if there was frisking that day. He could not have walked in to the lawns to shoot down the Mahatma. Well. The Bapu may have lived longer but not the way he wanted to.
I am constrained to tell this to you given the frequent trips you undertake to various parts of the country and travel in ordinary coaches and the promptness with which the media celebrates such instances. But the immediate provocation to do this comes from the news of corruption or favouritism shown by the ISRO, among the organizations directly under your Prime Minister, parceling out scarce spectrum to a private agency for no price at all. We all know, by this time, the details of the sweet deal by which a private agency with monetary links to foreign players had landed.
We are also aware that the government, sometimes in July 2010, began to rethink on the deal (for reasons best known to Manmohan Singh and some of his close associates) but then found itself in a bind against doing that summarily. The contract obligations were such that it is not easy to renege on the commitment and the Law Ministry was put on the job to find how to extricate from it. I am sure you will know as much as I do, that spectrum is a scarce commodity and there is no justification for anyone to have it free and worse when the deal allows the private player –Devas Communications – to sell it to whoever it wanted. The contract even says that ISRO too will have to buy spectrum from Devas if it wanted.
The old saying that you need not be a rocket scientist to realize that this is daylight loot of public wealth applies here more than anywhere else. The rocket scientists were behind this deal and our own Prime Minister, whom you described as impeccable presides over the department. Rahul, you are silent on all these. You did talk about one Prabhawati while defending the 123 civil nuclear deal and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Parliament. Don’t you think you must speak up for that Prabhawatis again. Their wealth is being looted and you are not heard anywhere.
I do know, as much as you do, that Manmohan Singh cannot speak against what you say. But then, it is important that you persist with what you say. You went to Udayagiri in Orissa and spoke about the need to preserve the nature and the hills. Your message went down well and the Posco project was exposed: A committee consisting of people close to you exposed all that were wrong with the project and Jairam Ramesh followed it up with some bold measures. But then, you did not show interest in that and ended up in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh and elsewhere and Manmohan Singh managed to pressure Jairam Ramesh undo what he did earlier.
I recall all this because you seem to be a source of power and inspiration. You will, hence, have to speak your mind on the ISRO scandal and also on the sad episode where we all know that A Raja sold spectrum to some people who in turn sold the same for prices several times than they bought. We now hear many things about the money trail. It is impossible that such things do not reach your ears. Those whom you recruit to the Youth Congress must be asked to convey whatever they hear. You must realize that popular perception is an important thing in public life and democracy.
Well. I know there is a lot to do for you. But then, you have assumed a role, by your own choice, and there is no escape from taking up all these and more. And let me conclude now. You have the choice to remain silent on all these and do what you are best at: To indulge in theatrics. But then, that will only confirm that you are no different from the others.
posted by Krishna Ananth at
9:23 AM
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