This is a the final part of the open letter to the Prime Minister, asking him to refrain from going ahead with the nuclear agenda currently being considered by this government. Read the first part here.

Dear Mr. Prime Minister,

A story on Democracy

A promise is promise, not the kind your kind makes during elections, but a promise I made to you last night about writing once again to you. But how would you know the promises made by your colleagues, you never have been to the people asking for votes. You have always entered the corridors through the backdoor! Talk about being the largest democracy in the world. One suggestion that I would like to give you Mr. Prime Minister, never ever utter the word 'democracy' in front of others. People would laugh in your face. You have a ignominious 100% record of being rejected by the people when you stood, for the only time, for the South Delhi Lok Sabha constituency. I feel like shouting loud into the vast void, "India, the worlds largest democracy! Ruled by a person who did not stand for an election.!"

So the news channels were saying that all the parties involved in this current situation are standing their ground and they would be the Left Front and yourselves! Can't you see Mr. Prime Minister, at this juncture it is only you who is favoring this deal (I am not counting on the entrepreneurs who would benefit from US contracts through the backdoor of this deal, if it goes through). According to the news channels, it is you who has to take the decision and you have not backed off. Have you taken this as a 'prestige issue'? Mr. Prime Minister, who has given you the right to decide for this country of mine? Don't tell me that you represent the people of my country. No, you do not represent the people of my country, infact, morally, you should not even have had accepted the position of the Prime Minister when you very well knew that you are not going to stand in an election.

On my way to work, today morning, I saw this old man with a, once-upon-a-time-white, turban, dhoti, and a tunic like dress sitting next to the bus-stop, asking for alms. I wondered, does he vote? And if he did would he vote for your government? Well I don't know if he would vote at all and if he wanted, he would need to have his name on the ubiquitous 'voter's list', and to be on that list, he would need to have a home, and if he had a home, he would be begging on the streets! When I saw this person, I understood what you meant by "Aam Aadmi"! Someone who does not even have the power to vote and I am sure there are millions of these in this country! Everywhere, In metros, cities, towns, villages, buses, trains, bus-stands, railway stations, roads, everywhere! Now, are they the citizens of this country? No, because as per the official records, these people do not exists and if they do, where? You wouldn't be able to say that because they do not have an address! Now, this aam aadmi only needs food, shelter and medical care for his family and himself. He does not care much about where the sensex is heading or about the sops your finance minister gives to industrialists while he squeezes the tax payers. And for that matter he doesn't care a damn about the nuclear energy you are proposing!


How Much Money is Rs.200,000 Crores?

You are an economist, right Mr.Prime Minister? So what does economics mean to you? I will tell you what it means to me. For me it is a tool for the proper entitlement of the lowest common denominator of our country to the highest and not for one particular class, which is your definition of the economy! Now to talk about the economic reforms that you initiated almost two decades back, what has it achieved? Yes the coffers of the country has been full and overflowing since, but who benefited from these huge amount of foreign exchange? I wouldn't be surprised that if you mentioned about a particular class of people. Now what is peculiar about the particular class of people I am talking about in the last two paragraphs? They have money?

Being an economist, I understand that you would know what the term, "Cost-Benefit-Analysis" means. A tenth standard student would be able to tell you what it means. But the way you have been preaching the benefits about this deal, throwing in jargons like, National Energy Security et al, makes me wonder as to what you make up of the citizens of this nation. A couple of weeks back, you went on national TV to explain to us as to why your team had to jack up the prices of petroleum products. Mr.Prime Minister, I was appalled to see that quirky speech of yours in which you hoodwinked the people of this country by using certain terms so that it would sound something different than what it actually is supposed to mean. Yes Mr.Prime Minister, I am talking about the term "Under Recoveries", which you so eloquently used to mask the reason for the rise in petroleum products. There was an article in the recent edition of Frontline which threw open this hoodwinking tactics employed by you. As you may know, the oil marketing companies are making dirty profits even now, as per their financial statements. So as per the article, were you really Fudging Facts?

Inspite of so much of opposition to this nuclear deal with the Uncle Sam, I do not understand that why you are hell bent on getting this on, inspite of the knowledge that economically, this deal is not going to do India any good for its National Energy Security?  The current installed nuclear capacity accounts for only 3.2% (4120 MWe) of India's energy generation and even if it is increased by 100% by 2016 (per your proposed deal), it would amount to a little over 6% of India's energy generation, considering that other other factors are the same. By the end of the Twelfth Plan (2012-2017), it is envisaged that the total generation is expected to be 275,000 MWe of which the nuclear component would be 13,880 MWe, accounting to 5% of the total generation. The target for Department of Atomic Energy is 20,000 MWe by the year 2020 which does not look possible unless India imports, provided the Nuclear Suppliers Group relaxes its export guidelines, if the current deal goes through. Mr.Prime Minister, you have once said that we should be targeting 40,000 MWe of nuclear energy by 2025. But where would we get this unless we import reactors form the US (Why US?) and provided the NSG relaxes its rules. Going by estimates, we will be able to generate 10,000 MWe of nuclear energy using indigenous reactors while rest of the 30,000 MWe needs to be imported. The estimated cost for every MW of nuclear energy that we import is about Rs.11,00,00,000 (11, Crores/1 crore = 100,00,000) and by this estimate for 30,000 MWe it would cost us Rs.33,00,00,00,00,000 (3,30,000 Crores). On the other hand, if we generate the same energy through Thermal power, it would cost us Rs.4,00,00,000 (4 Crores) and Rs.3,00,00,000 (3 Crores) by going the Hydro-Electric way. So the difference in cost is about Rs.2,00,000 crores. The Planning Commission (of which you are the chairman) has estimated that India has the potential for generating 150,000 MWe  using the Hydro-electric power. R.Ramachandran had analyzed this clearly in "Getting Critical". I am sure you must have read this.

So Mr.Prime Minister, why is there a huge gap in the estimates given by the planning commission, your claims of National Energy Security and the targets mentioned in the twelfth plan?

Do you understand how much money is 200,000 crores? 99.99999999-% of Indians wouldn't know, because you wouldn't tell them what it means. This is the kind of money that is required for social welfare, the kind of money that would ensure that no Indian goes hungry, to ensure that every Indian gets medical care, and to ensure that all children get quality education.


What is the truth?

So why are you hell bent on going ahead with this deal when the facts and figures do not match up to your claims? What is in it for you? What is the truth behind adding an additional 20,000 MWe into the existing target of 20,000 MWE target by 2020 in the Mid-Term Appraisal of the Tenth Plan, just months before you went to meet Uncle Sam? Or did the planning commission had prior knowledge of what was to happen at Uncle Sams, considering the fact that the planning commission in its appraisal has specifically mentioned that the nuclear fuel for this needs to be gotten from 'competitive terms'!

And all this when you know that the people have not yet chosen you as the one!

As an end note, I urge you Mr. Prime Minister, that atleast from now, you be worthy of the post you are holding and start working towards social development causes than just being a mere prophet of a particular class. I know you are a good man, every one is, its only ones deeds that differentiates people.

I am getting the tea ready, if you would like the pleasure of having tea with me Mr. Prime Minister.