Prime Minister Narendra Modi Must Resign and Accept Political Responsibility
The Issue
I started this petition in 2021 during the devastating second wave of COVID-19, when failures of preparedness, public communication and political accountability caused widespread anger and grief across India.
Five years later, I am updating this petition because the demand for accountability is no longer based on one crisis alone. It now arises from a wider and continuing pattern in the functioning of the Union Government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
I write as an Indian citizen who cast his first vote for the Bharatiya Janata Party in 2014. Like many others, I hoped for change and supported the promise of transparent, decisive and accountable government.
This petition therefore does not arise from personal hostility, disrespect or blind loyalty to any opposition party. It arises from concern about the condition of India’s democracy, public institutions and social unity.
The immediate reason for renewing this petition is the hunger strike undertaken by Sonam Wangchuk in support of demands for accountability over failures in India’s public examination system. On 18 July 2026, after his health deteriorated, he was taken from Jantar Mantar to hospital.
Whatever one’s view of the protest or its demands, no citizen should have to place his life at risk before the country’s political leadership seriously acknowledges a public grievance.
This incident reflects a larger pattern of concern.
Parliamentary and democratic accountability
Parliament must be more than a place where the government exercises its majority. It must remain a forum for debate, scrutiny and representation.
The reduced time available for parliamentary debate, the limited committee examination of important legislation, the large-scale suspension of opposition MPs and the prolonged absence of a Deputy Speaker have weakened confidence in parliamentary accountability.
Electoral bonds and political financing
In February 2024, the Supreme Court unanimously declared the electoral-bond scheme unconstitutional.
The Court held that the concealment of political donations violated citizens’ right to information and that allowing unlimited corporate contributions was arbitrary.
Several political parties benefited from the scheme. However, the BJP was its largest beneficiary.
A government that came to power promising to fight corruption should have supported complete transparency in political funding rather than defending a system that concealed the identities of donors from citizens.
The continuing tragedy in Manipur
The violence in Manipur developed into a prolonged humanitarian and constitutional crisis.
Hundreds of people were killed, tens of thousands were displaced and communities remained divided for years.
Although the Union Government announced compensation, investigations, relief measures and development projects, Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not visit Manipur until more than two years after the violence began.
Development projects cannot substitute for justice, reconciliation and political responsibility.
Investigative agencies and selective enforcement
Corruption must be investigated regardless of the political position of the accused.
However, the concentration of Enforcement Directorate and Central Bureau of Investigation action against opposition politicians has created a serious crisis of institutional credibility.
Even lawful investigations lose public legitimacy when enforcement appears politically uneven.
A democratic government must ensure that investigative institutions are not only independent, but are also publicly seen to be independent.
Religious polarisation and equal citizenship
The Prime Minister leads the Union Government and bears responsibility towards every Indian citizen, irrespective of religion, caste, language, region or political belief.
Political language that presents minorities as threats, outsiders or obstacles to national progress damages constitutional equality and social trust.
The Prime Minister must do more than deny discrimination. He must actively reassure minorities and restrain political forces that promote fear, exclusion and collective punishment.
Dissent, journalism and civil society
Criticism of the government is not criticism of India.
Journalism that exposes governmental failures is not anti-national activity. Civil-society organisations that disagree with public policy are not automatically threats to sovereignty.
National-security, financial and public-order laws must not be used in ways that financially exhaust, administratively obstruct or criminalise peaceful criticism.
Young Indians and the examination crisis
India’s young population is regularly described as a demographic dividend. Yet millions of young Indians face unemployment, insecure work, delayed recruitment and repeated failures in public examinations.
When an examination is compromised or cancelled, students lose money, time, opportunities and confidence in public institutions.
The emergence of the Cockroach Janta Party as a satirical youth movement should not be dismissed merely because of its name or online origins. Its growth reflects real frustration among young people who feel that they are heard only when their anger becomes politically disruptive.
A question of cumulative responsibility
Any one of these issues may be defended as an administrative failure, a state-government matter, a disputed allegation, an unintended consequence or the responsibility of another institution.
Taken together, however, they reveal a deeper problem: the concentration of political power without a corresponding willingness to accept political responsibility.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government may point to electoral victories, economic growth, infrastructure development, welfare delivery, digitalisation and measures taken after individual crises. These achievements should not simply be denied.
But accountability cannot mean accepting credit for every achievement while assigning every failure to officials, state governments, previous administrations, protesters or the opposition.
The greater the concentration of authority around the office of the Prime Minister, the greater the responsibility that must accompany it.
What this petition demands
This petition respectfully calls upon Prime Minister Narendra Modi to accept moral and political responsibility for the cumulative record of his government and resign as Prime Minister of India.
This is not an attempt to overturn an election, reject the verdict of Indian citizens or bypass the Constitution.
The governing party and coalition would continue to hold their parliamentary mandate and could select another leader to serve as Prime Minister.
Resignation would affirm an essential democratic principle: high public office is not only a position of authority, but also a responsibility that must sometimes be relinquished when cumulative failures of governance undermine public trust.
India is greater than any government, political party or individual leader.
Those who exercise the greatest authority must also be willing to accept the greatest responsibility.
Read the complete evidence-based open letter
The full open letter, including the detailed argument and supporting sources, is available here:
https://mrunalmathuria.substack.com/p/an-open-letter-to-prime-minister
Please sign this petition if you agree with this peaceful and constitutional demand.
Please also share the petition and open letter with others who believe that democracy requires accountability from those who hold the highest public office.
8,28,429
The Issue
I started this petition in 2021 during the devastating second wave of COVID-19, when failures of preparedness, public communication and political accountability caused widespread anger and grief across India.
Five years later, I am updating this petition because the demand for accountability is no longer based on one crisis alone. It now arises from a wider and continuing pattern in the functioning of the Union Government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
I write as an Indian citizen who cast his first vote for the Bharatiya Janata Party in 2014. Like many others, I hoped for change and supported the promise of transparent, decisive and accountable government.
This petition therefore does not arise from personal hostility, disrespect or blind loyalty to any opposition party. It arises from concern about the condition of India’s democracy, public institutions and social unity.
The immediate reason for renewing this petition is the hunger strike undertaken by Sonam Wangchuk in support of demands for accountability over failures in India’s public examination system. On 18 July 2026, after his health deteriorated, he was taken from Jantar Mantar to hospital.
Whatever one’s view of the protest or its demands, no citizen should have to place his life at risk before the country’s political leadership seriously acknowledges a public grievance.
This incident reflects a larger pattern of concern.
Parliamentary and democratic accountability
Parliament must be more than a place where the government exercises its majority. It must remain a forum for debate, scrutiny and representation.
The reduced time available for parliamentary debate, the limited committee examination of important legislation, the large-scale suspension of opposition MPs and the prolonged absence of a Deputy Speaker have weakened confidence in parliamentary accountability.
Electoral bonds and political financing
In February 2024, the Supreme Court unanimously declared the electoral-bond scheme unconstitutional.
The Court held that the concealment of political donations violated citizens’ right to information and that allowing unlimited corporate contributions was arbitrary.
Several political parties benefited from the scheme. However, the BJP was its largest beneficiary.
A government that came to power promising to fight corruption should have supported complete transparency in political funding rather than defending a system that concealed the identities of donors from citizens.
The continuing tragedy in Manipur
The violence in Manipur developed into a prolonged humanitarian and constitutional crisis.
Hundreds of people were killed, tens of thousands were displaced and communities remained divided for years.
Although the Union Government announced compensation, investigations, relief measures and development projects, Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not visit Manipur until more than two years after the violence began.
Development projects cannot substitute for justice, reconciliation and political responsibility.
Investigative agencies and selective enforcement
Corruption must be investigated regardless of the political position of the accused.
However, the concentration of Enforcement Directorate and Central Bureau of Investigation action against opposition politicians has created a serious crisis of institutional credibility.
Even lawful investigations lose public legitimacy when enforcement appears politically uneven.
A democratic government must ensure that investigative institutions are not only independent, but are also publicly seen to be independent.
Religious polarisation and equal citizenship
The Prime Minister leads the Union Government and bears responsibility towards every Indian citizen, irrespective of religion, caste, language, region or political belief.
Political language that presents minorities as threats, outsiders or obstacles to national progress damages constitutional equality and social trust.
The Prime Minister must do more than deny discrimination. He must actively reassure minorities and restrain political forces that promote fear, exclusion and collective punishment.
Dissent, journalism and civil society
Criticism of the government is not criticism of India.
Journalism that exposes governmental failures is not anti-national activity. Civil-society organisations that disagree with public policy are not automatically threats to sovereignty.
National-security, financial and public-order laws must not be used in ways that financially exhaust, administratively obstruct or criminalise peaceful criticism.
Young Indians and the examination crisis
India’s young population is regularly described as a demographic dividend. Yet millions of young Indians face unemployment, insecure work, delayed recruitment and repeated failures in public examinations.
When an examination is compromised or cancelled, students lose money, time, opportunities and confidence in public institutions.
The emergence of the Cockroach Janta Party as a satirical youth movement should not be dismissed merely because of its name or online origins. Its growth reflects real frustration among young people who feel that they are heard only when their anger becomes politically disruptive.
A question of cumulative responsibility
Any one of these issues may be defended as an administrative failure, a state-government matter, a disputed allegation, an unintended consequence or the responsibility of another institution.
Taken together, however, they reveal a deeper problem: the concentration of political power without a corresponding willingness to accept political responsibility.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government may point to electoral victories, economic growth, infrastructure development, welfare delivery, digitalisation and measures taken after individual crises. These achievements should not simply be denied.
But accountability cannot mean accepting credit for every achievement while assigning every failure to officials, state governments, previous administrations, protesters or the opposition.
The greater the concentration of authority around the office of the Prime Minister, the greater the responsibility that must accompany it.
What this petition demands
This petition respectfully calls upon Prime Minister Narendra Modi to accept moral and political responsibility for the cumulative record of his government and resign as Prime Minister of India.
This is not an attempt to overturn an election, reject the verdict of Indian citizens or bypass the Constitution.
The governing party and coalition would continue to hold their parliamentary mandate and could select another leader to serve as Prime Minister.
Resignation would affirm an essential democratic principle: high public office is not only a position of authority, but also a responsibility that must sometimes be relinquished when cumulative failures of governance undermine public trust.
India is greater than any government, political party or individual leader.
Those who exercise the greatest authority must also be willing to accept the greatest responsibility.
Read the complete evidence-based open letter
The full open letter, including the detailed argument and supporting sources, is available here:
https://mrunalmathuria.substack.com/p/an-open-letter-to-prime-minister
Please sign this petition if you agree with this peaceful and constitutional demand.
Please also share the petition and open letter with others who believe that democracy requires accountability from those who hold the highest public office.
The Decision Makers
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Petition created on 27 April 2021