OPEN LETTER TO HONOURABLE LOP

OPEN LETTER TO HONOURABLE LOP Even the other day, when Congress was down to 44 seats in Parliament, we got the impression that you were a reluctant politician. Now that Congress has got 99 seats (18%), there seems to be some interest generated in you in politics. If that be so, the voters would like to give you some suggestions: 1. If you study the lives of great leaders like Abraham Lincoln, Nelson Mandela, John F Kennedy, Subhash Chandra Bose, Sardar Patel, Bidhan Chandra Roy, Vajpayee and several others, you will find that they never indulged in profanities. Their language was always sobre and classy, there demeanour dignified, they never appeared to lose control of themselves. You need to adopt that. Losing your temper, appearing aggressive, use of improper language or gestures, being impolite is not going to make you liked by Indians. 2. You have no experience of governance. Take the case of any successful leader, you will find that they rose step by step. Your father was para-dropped and was not adept at his job as PM. He started with a big blunder by indirectly justifying the Sikh riots by saying "जब कोई बड़ा पेड़.......". Whether it is Patel, Vajpayee or Narasimha Rao or Modi, they all rose through the ranks by working hard at each step. That gives you the experience and knowledge to understand people, problems of the people, and how to find solutions. Look at the private sector. No one can become a CEO on day one. So, be a minister somewhere, then a CM may be, then you'll have enough experience and knowledge. Otherwise, even if you happen to be PM someday, you will soon lose it out of inexperience. Chirag Paswan, Jyotirditya Scindia, Sachin Pilot, Biswasharma have first gained experience then aspired for positions. 3. Thirdly, remember this is the 21st century. The age of dynastic rule is over. So, a politician has to stand on his calibre and not on who his father or mother is. Earn the respect of your partymen by demonstrating to them that you deserve to be their leader. Otherwise, like leaders who have already abandoned the Congress party, others will too. You have to build consensus and not be dictatorial. 4. Fourthly, get rid of your sycophants. They will praise you to your face and damage you on your back. I was once travelling to someplace and struck a conversation with a fellow passenger, who turned out to be the office bearer of your party in one state. The way this person criticised you it seems that rank and file is not happy with your style of functioning. 5. Stop insulting the majority community. They have done you no harm. They have voted for you too. Otherwise, you would not have got 99 seats. Moreover, a good leader should not show himself to be against any class, caste, race, religion. Look at Pakistan today. It is hate for a particular community that has got them into this mess. India certainly needs a good opposition. When Mr Modi hands over in 2032 there would be a vacuum of leadership. That is the time India would need some good leaders in power and in the opposition. I urge you to prepare from now itself to be ready to hold some responsible position then. I hope you would receive these suggestions in the right spirit. We all mean well. Jai Hind ! Vande Mataram ! P K Basu