An Open Letter to the Jantar Mantar protestors:
My dear young friends,
I address you today not as a politician or an MP, but as someone deeply troubled by what is happening to your generation of young Indians.
This is personal for me. I was born to a middle-class family: my father was a salaried newspaper employee, my mother a homemaker, with three children to educate on one income. For a family like ours, merit was not a slogan. Scholarships, fair examinations, honest results — these were the only way one salary could carry three children's dreams.
I went to school in Mumbai and Kolkata, to college here in Delhi, topped the University and earned admission into IIM — and chose instead to follow my passion for international affairs, in America, on a scholarship. Nothing was inherited; everything was earned by hard work and yes, Exams.
So I know that a fair, merit-based system is the only ladder for young people from lower and middle-income families to climb up. When that ladder is broken — papers leaked, examinations cancelled, trust destroyed — the children of the rich and powerful do not suffer. They have other ladders. It is your dreams, and your families' sacrifices (and tragically, in some homes, young lives themselves) that are betrayed.
To the young people gathered at Jantar Mantar, and those raising your voices peacefully across India: this country hears you. Your anger is not indiscipline — it is the anguish of a generation that did everything right and was still betrayed . You are not alone.
And to the millions of young Indians watching quietly: your generation is not a problem to be managed. You are the answer to India's future. Do not lose hope. This ladder will be rebuilt — by you, and by every Indian who stands with you.
To Shri Sonam Wangchuk-ji, my heartfelt appeal: please end your fast. You have awakened the conscience of the nation; that is what a fast is meant to do. India needs your voice for the long road ahead.
With Parliament in session again from Monday, we will have an opportunity to raise the students�� issues in the highest forum of our democracy. That’s where the problem should be addressed, not by fasting unto death. Please heed my plea.
And finally, to the Government: I respectfully urge you to reach out and engage in the dialogue our democracy owes its young citizens. That is not weakness; that is statesmanship.
Shame on @Swiggy for treating its delivery partners this way.
We placed an order from Baskin Robbins that should have arrived in 45 minutes. Instead, after 50 minutes, the delivery executive came to our doorstep without the order because the restaurant had been closed since the afternoon.
He had video proof, proof that he had reached the location, and messages sent to Swiggy asking for help—but Swiggy never responded. We even called the restaurant ourselves, and they confirmed they had been closed for hours. So why was Swiggy still accepting orders?
We got our refund, but that’s not the issue.
Despite repeatedly telling Swiggy that the delivery executive was not at fault and had all the evidence, they still slapped him with an ₹850 penalty.
To make matters worse, Swiggy customer care disconnected our call while we were trying to resolve the issue. They also kept insisting they were trying to contact the delivery executive, even though he was standing right in front of us and didnt receive a single call.
This is unacceptable. A company worth billions should not be forcing hardworking delivery partners to pay for its own system failures. Stop punishing the people who keep your business running and take responsibility for your own mistakes.
#Swiggy #DeliveryPartners #GigWorkers @SwiggyCares