PERFORMANCE AUDIT : PRIME MINISTER NARENDRA MODI

From,

Gp Capt TP Srivastava(retd)
Former Dircetor, Min of Defence
9818926254

SUBJECT: PERFORMANCE AUDIT

Dear Mr Modi,

I watched the entire Independence Day Ceremony on television, primarily to observe (not listen) our Prime Minister. May I state frankly that I was a little disappointed. The disappointment has nothing to do with the contents of your speech and various announcements that you made. It has to do with your gait, appearance, style of walking to address the nation and most importantly your demeanour throughout the period of your 89 minute speech.

At the outset let me confess that as an individual, I am your ardent admirer for your simplicity and courage of conviction.I am certain you have read the couplet of Sant Kabir Das JI, which is as follows:-

“ Nindak Niyare Rakhiye Aangan Kuti Chavay, Bin Pani Sabun Bina Nirmal Karo Subhay”

I'm not merely your ardent admirer, I'm also your performance auditor. Nation desperately needed a person of your character& courage at the helm. Without doubt political compulsions dictate the course of action on numerous issues.

Allow me to candidly state what I witnessed.

• On getting down from your car you appeared to be pre-occupied and instead of looking directly into the faces receiving you, you were looking elsewhere.

• Your hand shakes were not as firm and friendly as I have seen you do on numerous occassions.

• Your walk to the podium was with head bent forward as if looking for some thing on the ground. I have seen you walk straighter and with head up like a 20 year young soldier.

• Your gait with shoulders drooping forward even while unfurling the national flag said it all. Your pre-occupation, not with the opposition, but within your own party has obviously taken its toll.

• Your walk in front of the Guard of Honour contingent was at best indifferent. Your pre-occupation was more than evident.

• You displayed permanent frown on your face as against the enthusiastic facial expressions exhibited in the early days after assuming the office of PM. Even an occassional smile was absent during your entire speech.

I wonder if you will ever get to read this letter but if by chance your ‘minions’ place it in front of you, do reflect on what has been stated. Nation needs “THE MODI” of resolute courage. I have followed up your one year in office extremely closely. My observations are:-

• In the eyes of the nation you have gone soft on terror like your predecessors. Every terrorist strike must have suitable and caliberated response in form of substantive action and not mere rhetoric by discontinuing talks etc.

• Let me be specific; by caliberated response I imply almost instantaneous response in the form of STRIKE AT TERRORISTS CAMPS IN POK. POK is our territory illegaly held by Pakistan. Surely we can strike within our own territory. We did that in Nagaland and Goa when we used IAF STRIKE ELEMENT to quell the uprising. Pakistan Military in particular and Chinese military will avoid a full blown conflict with India at all cost. Strikes in POK will invite massive Public Relation response from both nations and no more. For heaven’s sake let us stop repeating that we will teach Pakistan a Lesson. Let us do it but not in the manner we responded after attack on Parliament in December, 2001. We took an insane decision to mobilise entire Indian Armed Forces.

• Our demented intellectuals, whose only expertise is in becoming post event specialist, will advise you that it might lead to nuclear war. Pakistan is incapable of rising against us either in a conventional conflict or nuclear conflict. For a change it was nice to hear the NSA state that ‘India should play in its correct weight category’. One

four aircraft strike by fighters and/or attack helicopters would raise the national morale and your personal credibility as a no non-sense leader. It will have immediate effect in your governance. We have not maintained nearly 700 strike aircraft for Republic Day Fly Past.

• Next issue is that of our bid to enter the UNSC. May I suggest that you adopt a diametrically opposite approach to what your advisors have been telling you. You must categorically state during your next international engage-ment that either India is inducted into UNSC or we simply quit the United Nations.

• Our geo-strategic location enables us to control Malacca Strait and should be so stated by the political leader-ship. Chinese have absolutely no chance either from Tibet Autonomous Region(TAR) or through the south China Sea provided we are willing to flex our military muscle by placing strike elements of the IAF in Port Blair and Car Nicobar. Then and only then will the 21st century belong to India. Verbal rhetoric, notwithstanding your excellent oratorial skills, will get us no where.

• Our weapons procurement process is in a mess and will continue to remain unless you make the following organisational changes in procurement process.

• Firstly, appoint independent Secretaries for Army, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard. Current Defence Secretary simply cannot manage the load as a single individual, their competence to handle the task is not being questioned.

• Secondly, DEFENCE PROCUREMENT BOARD should be headed by respective Service Chiefs and not Defence Secretary as at present. 

• Our procurement process need not be as a buyer.Rather it should be projected as being a business provider and industry sustaining event for the vendor. For instance if we had not accepted Rafale, French Aviation industry would have been in dire strait. We should view ourselves as ‘Oxygen Provider’ to internatio-nal defence vendors.

• While you are personally addressing issues directly affecting the poorest of the poor. But reformation of PRIMARY EDUCATION is conspicuous by its total absebce during your speeches. Standard and conduct of PRIMARY EDUCATION in the country is in tatters. Unless we focus on completely reforming the process of PRIMARY EDUCATION, we shall not produce good citizens.

• I had made a proposal to Planning Commission prior to my retirement in 2004 as to how retired soldiers spread over length and breadth of the country can be effectively utilised. Quality of teachers at our primary schools is pathetic. In fact they thrive on abusing the children and most do not even arrive at schools. Sadly most of the

primary schools have done away with morning prayers etc. I can explain the modality in a FIFTEEN MINUTE meeting with you.

• AANGAWADI programme has become a thriving business and needs immediate review in form of clearly defined checks and balances. 

• Inner party democracy in your cabinet needs tackling firmly. Mr Arun Jaitely is aspiring to be the NUMBER TWO. Incidentally as an individual I do not trust people, who dye their hair because they live under false colours. Going GREY gracefully is GOD’s gift to mankind and anyone tampering with it cannot be genuine. In my view Mr Jaitely

is aspiring to be No One. I am not attempting to infuse any misunderstanding between you and the FM. As an ordinary citizen of average intelligence I am stating what I infer.

• Your personal commitment to OROP is without doubt. But Mr Jaitely’s line of action is detrimental to your and your party’s interests. On this account Mr Modi you have made an error of judgement. When you took over as PM, you had recommendations of two parliamentary committees and SC directions to implement OROP but you missed the opportunity. I genuinely wonder as to how an astute and shrewd person like you failed to use the implementation of OROP as the master stroke of your current and possibly next tenure, which now appears doubtful. Even if you implement it now,you have lost the ground of credibility,almost entirely due to misinformation fed to you by the FM. It is your personal loss and not that of FM.

• The FM has repeatedly insulted the SOLDIER by comparing them with police, para-military forces etc. A SOLDIER CAN ONLY BE COMPARED WITH ANOTHER SOLDIER. FM not only needs to be more articulate but also better informed on matters MILITARY. 

• Bihar has the highest concentration of former defence personnel. All of whom, their families and friends included, will vote against ‘MODI’ courtesy the advise tendered by the FM. Almost certainly Bihar elections will elect a Nitish led government.

• FM’s action of stalling OROP has resulted in enormous damage to your credibility. The nation voted not only for change but also for MODI. You have lost the trust of the masses by this single lapse. Mr Jaitely has lost nothing; in fact would be the gainer from your loss. 

To put it plainly, Mr Modi you have performed well below your potential, partly due to political compulsions but partly due to your indecision as well. In aviation we have a saying “ Wrong Decisions can be FATAL but INDECISION is always FATAL” 

Thanks

(Source- Posted by: Mathew Oommen <mathewo555@gmail.com> e-mail)