Prime Minister Narendra Modi has roundly rebuked those who have mocked the breaking down of the Vande Bharat Express one day after he flagged it off from New Delhi. In a strongly worded message for those who allegedly made fun of Train 18’s ill-fated return journey from Varanasi to Delhi, he said:“Some people targeted and mocked the semi-high speed train. This is unfortunate. This is an insult to engineers and technicians involved in the project. People should remain alert against such people who are insulting engineers and technicians and mocking the country… Is it right to insult engineers and technicians? Is mocking them right? Can they be pardoned? Should they not be given right punishment at the right time?”One is, frankly, taken aback at the disproportionately strong language used by the prime minister. Sadly, however, one is not surprised. On February 16, India’s first indigenous semi high-speed train broke down near Tundla junction. The Rs 100 crore train’s brake system malfunctioned, leading to control failures of the air-conditioning. According to the people on board, many of whom were journalists, the power failed in some coaches, and in the words of one of the passengers, “…the train slowed down to a sluggish speed of 10 km per hour. There was also a foul smell and mild smoke, which was due to an internal system failure”.Also read: Brake Failure Halts Vande Bharat Express On Day After LaunchThe breakdown is an embarrassment for the Modi government, which had launched its Make in India scheme with a lot of fanfare some years ago. One can also understand Mr. Modi’s unhappiness at the scheme’s showpiece being on the receiving end of some derision and disparagement, but using words and phrases like ‘…targeted…’, ‘…this is an insult…’, ‘…people should remain alert against such people…’, ‘…can they be pardoned…?’ and finally, ‘…should they not be given the right punishment at the right time?’ is excessive and uncalled for, especially at a time when emotions are raw and tempers are running high in India. One finds it hard to believe that a master communicator like Narendra Modi does not understand the effect such inflammatory language will have, coming as it does, from the mouth of highest office bearer in the land. At a time when the prime minister should use words that are calming and stabilising, he has instead chosen vocabulary which is provocative and alarming.Also read: Why Modi Government’s Persecution of Intellectuals Should Worry Us All‘…people should remain alert against such people…’, That is usually the kind of language that is used when warning the public against terrorists and those who wish to disrupt law and order in a big way, not those who are well within their rights to question why a much publicised train broke down the way it did.‘…can they be pardoned…?’ What is so unpardonable, one wonders, about poking fun at a malfunctioning train? ‘…should they not be given the right punishment at the right time?’ One wonders what does a question like that even means. At a time when vigilantes and mobs have been given a free hand to mete out their own warped and perverted versions of justice to those they see fit, that is perhaps the worst choice of words a leader can use.Also read: What Will Narendra Modi Be Remembered For?When Mr. Modi says, “This is an insult to engineers and technicians involved in the project,” he should know it is not. Indians in particular respect engineers deeply. For many parents, their highest aspiration is that their children become doctors or engineers. What Mr. Modi needs to realise is that it is the huge gap between his election promises in 2014 and the reality of India in 2019 which is being mocked here. He should know that the people of India feel shortchanged, not having seen the 100 Smart Cities that were promised, or India becoming a major manufacturing hub it was supposed to become under the Make in India scheme, or millions of Indians becoming skilled as they were told they would, under the Skill India scheme.At a time when the prime minister should use words that are calming and stabilising, he has instead chosen vocabulary which is provocative and alarming.An incident similar to the malfunctioning of Train 18 took place 16 years ago: The maiden flight of Air Deccan, India’s first low cost airline ever, had to be aborted when the left engine of the plane started to smoke just before take-off. The incident was, by all measures, a public relations disaster and it looked like the airlines would shut down before it even took off. But Air Deccan’s founder and managing director, Capt. G.R. Gopinath, acknowledged the problem in an honest and non-defensive manner, and explained what happened simply and matter-of-factly: “The fuel vapour leaked and came into contact with the exhaust of the left engine.” That was it. Captain Gopinath did not lash out all his critics. Like any good leader, he acknowledged the problem, rectified it and moved on. And despite its disastrous start, Air Deccan flew Indian skies for many years and heralded the coming of low cost airlines in India.Also read: Five Reasons I am Grateful for the Reign of Narendra ModiGood leaders fix the mistake, not the blame. They take ownership of a problem instead of blaming it on everyone else. Former US president Harry S. Truman, had a sign on his desk saying “The Buck Stops Here”. Mr. Modi may as well have one on his that says, ‘The Buck Picks up Speed Here”, because, instead of taking responsibility for the huge problems the country faces, he chooses to scapegoat everyone else – the Congress, members of the opposition, and of course, Jawaharlal Nehru. If the prime minister is indeed bothered by people who mock, he should perhaps turn his attention to those who are mocking the constitution of India by calling for the establishment of a theocratic state; to those who are making a mockery of India’s democratic institutions by using them shamelessly for their own ends; to his ministers who felicitate and garland mob lynchers; and to the army of trolls who don’t just mock but abuse and threaten anyone who dares to voice an opinion different than the ruling party’s. Most of all, Mr. Modi needs to turn his attention to the plight of India’s marginalised and disenfranchised millions who have truly been mocked by the promise of achhe din. Rohit Kumar is an educator with a background in positive psychology and psychometrics. He works with high school students on emotional intelligence and adolescence issues to help make schools bullying-free zones.