A letter from Dinesh Trivedi, the MP who defied Mamta Banerjee

I have been writing letters to all regarding the corruption in India. I have sent letters to all our MPs. The Chief Election Commissioner and the Chief Justice of India.

When I was in College in 1967, I had written to Indira Gandhi and had received personal replies from her.

Unfortunately, our MPs say they represent the people but when anyone wants to contact them, they are inaccessible.

Writing to them is like speaking to a silent wall.

Dinesh Trivedi is one of the rare exceptions.

He showed his mettle when he Challenged Mamata Banerjee and did not change the Railway budget.

He has been the only one who has replied and showed his support to my mail by sending me the letter he had sent to our Prime Minister, which is given below.

Dinesh Trivedi 4 Lodi Estate

New Delhi

January 2, 2013

Respected Prime Minister Sir,

I write this letter with anguish, concern and a sense of responsibility, not only as a Member of Parliament, but also as a common citizen of India. The series of gruesome incidences taking place across the length and breadth of the country, especially involving women, children and senior citizens, including the recent barbaric gang rape involving a young girl aged 23 years, has shaken the conscience of the common man. The incidences appear to be just the tip of the iceberg, as there must be innumerable such unreported incidences of sexual harassment be it at workplace, home or even in religious organizations.

The prime essence of democracy is the rule of law, which our Constitution has provided to one and all. It has taken the sacrifice of innumerable Indians to get our freedom. Many Bhagat Singhs, Raj Gurus and Bismils have given up their lives so that we as a nation feel secure and free. A democracy cannot survive if the rule of law is applicable to only a selected few influential people like politicians, civil servants or the rich and famous. Crime is on the rise and I can say with a lot of concern that if this continues without immediate check then we could lose the very essence of democracy. To my mind, these incidences are just the symptoms of a cancer which is taking deep roots in India. Till date, even after 65 years of independence, we are still being governed by laws and acts which were framed by British rulers for them to rule Indian subjects effectively, and not for our security and freedom. We are still being governed by the 146 year old Police Act of 1861. It is a sorry state of affairs that the mindset of the Government is the same as that of the erstwhile British rule. Perhaps we have collectively become insensitive towards the dignity of human beings and our conscience doesn't get shaken up by either a terror attack, gang rape, or the very fact that millions of Indians sleep hungry and without shelter. As a Member of Parliament I feel responsible not only towards the people of my constituency, but to the entire nation. I see young and bright students sitting in the gallery watching the proceedings of the Parliament and getting traumatized after witnessing acrimony in the house, their faces full of shock and disbelief. These young boys and girls are the future of this country and they certainly deserve a better India of their dreams and aspirations which they expect the political leadership to provide.

The need of the hour is to recognize that somewhere we have failed to live up to the expectations of the founding fathers of our great democracy. We should come together and seriously introspect to find solutions rather than apportion blame. India is a country of bright and talented people second to none and I have no doubt that if we get back our value system, it will not be difficult to regain the true spirit of India. As the saying goes, “charity begins at home” - we need to clean up our own house i.e. the legislature. As per available information, there are many legislators with serious criminal records. Their cases should be tried by fast track courts so that either they are acquitted if proven not guilty, or convicted, as there is no place for a single legislator with a criminal record to be either in the Assembly or the Parliament. I had personally taken up the matter related to criminalization of politics, namely Vohra Committee report, with the Hon’ble Supreme Court, whose judgment is still pending implementation by successive Governments. There have been various committee reports involving police reforms, including Padmanabhaiya Committee, to meet the growing challenges. Mr Soli Sorabjee chaired a committee that drafted a Model Police Act which is still gathering dust. The bottom line is that the entire bureaucracy and the police have been completely politicized and the system works only for their political masters (bosses) be it Chief Ministers of States or the Union Ministers in the Cabinet. The fact is that they should be working for the people and not their political masters. Slowly but surely the common man is losing faith in democratic institutions such as Parliament, CBI, CAG, Judiciary etc., despite these institutions having a good number of capable and honest people. One of the few steps that can be taken immediately is to do away with the exhibit and show of power symbols, especially the privileges of the political class, such as beacon lights, the right of way to ministers and VIPs, pilot cars, etc. The only exception could be that of the Hon'ble President and Prime Minister, and that too within civil limits. I hope you as the Prime Minister will realize the danger signals hovering over our Nation which need to be addressed immediately before this cancer consumes our democracy and we all are left only to regret.

It is of utmost importance that the temple of democracy i.e. the Parliament should function the way it is supposed to, without acrimony. Unfortunately the Parliament is getting reduced to a mockery and hooliganism and the Hon'ble Speaker is virtually terrorized (cutting across party lines) and forced to adjourn the house time and again, hindering the normal functioning of the Parliament. The politicians today appear to be serving their political parties first rather than the Nation; their priority must be “COUNTRY FIRST”. I strongly feel a legislator must take an oath of allegiance first to the country along with the Constitution before entering Parliament or Legislative Assembly.

Unless we act now, history will not pardon our disconnect with the aspirations of the masses.

Yours Sincerely,

Dinesh Trivedi

To: Dr. Manmohan Singh

Hon'ble Prime Minister of India