Indian people are becoming seriously ill due to VIP syndrome now days. You don’t believe me then I will point your attention to few news articles:
The basic tenant of democracy is People are supreme and State is subservient to People but just look at our country. The People elected via election or recruitment are behaving as they are not public servant but Neo-Lords and people who don’t have state power are using their ill-gotten wealth to behave like one of such Neo-Lords. Nowadays everybody with a State Job/Position or Little Money is VIP or at least wants to be treated as VIP. They hate to stop at red light, stand in queue, get frisked at security, pay toll tax and the list is endless and if any upright person tryingto do his/her job stops such VIPs then the result is getting killed, thrashed or job-loss.
I always use to think why we have this VIP culture in our Free and Democratic Country. Why we have utter disdain or apathy for laws and always ready to shove our Position and Money to jump anything which brings us to the level of AAM AADMI. Answers to most of these questions are our Colonial Hangovers/legacies which should have got abolished the time we got independence but alas Britishers used array of tactics to create army of Brown Shaibs to rule India such as conferring Honor, providing Lal Batti and giving VIP status. This practice should/must have got abolished in free India but none has paid attention to it and now it has become a disease. People are fighting/manipulating/conspiring to get State honor and VIP status. If they can’t get it from State then they brazenly display their Money/Power to get preferential treatment as VIPs. This is known world wide that WE, The People of India love to flaunt our status and wants preferential treatment even in foreign land and love to return the favor when guests visits our land. In India the best way to reflect your VIP status is through Car with Beacon and army of bodyguards. Politician’s gives logic that they need Bodyguards and Beacon to protect them-selves from perceived threat but irony of the situation is the very same Beacon and Bodyguards makes them a very easy identifiable target against any genuine threat…what an irony …I remember once central government tried to reduce people in Z-category Security profile. Our Esteemed Politician Mr. Lalu Yadav opposed this move in Parliament by claiming that his fellow colleagues (all politicians cutting across party line) and including him-self life’s are in threat from external/anti-social elements because of all good work they do. I wanted to ask Mr. Yadav that is it our country a Banana Republic where anybody can kill anybody (specially a politician) and gets away with it. If yes then you should be strengthening the Policing system of our country rather than asking protection for yourself only. Other thing I am still trying to understand is why politicians/bureaucrats have to force their way to reach their office in time. Why they can’t do it as we all do Plan in advance per time and traffic to reach office in time. Why they need to flash Beacon, blow Siren and jump traffic signal to reach their destination.
I agree that few functionaries (list can easily be made of 10-15 people and only of 10-15 people who can be identified by several Indian Constitutional Experts) of our Indian State should be protected from external threat to prevent anarchy and unrest in our country. Barring this group I sincerely hope that our present government, which is struggling with so many scams, abolishes use of Beacon of any kind and only allow emergency response vehicle (while responding to an emergency) to use flashing Beacon and siren. Rest all should be treated as AAM AADMI. After this may be we will see a day when brazenly display of VIP status will be abhorred and All Citizens of India will then dutifully follow all laws without feeling of contempt. Amen!
Note: Mr. Harish Salve has taken this matter in Supreme Court. Hopefully Supreme Court will be able to find cure for VIP Syndrome.
kya baat hai..!
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