During our colonial days, the British masters ruled imperiously over their conquered subjects, divided into a complex and embedded hierarchy of castes and sub-castes which they exploited to keep us subjugated. After their departure, desi Rajas and Maharajas seamlessly stepped into their shoes, appropriating the privileges of their erstwhile masters which perpetuated the sickening VIP culture.
November 9, 2021Terming that it is sheer wastage of government resources, the CM had said that this cannot be allowed as what harm my own Punjabis will do to him as he too is a common man like them.
September 30, 2021The CM also quipped that he was surprised to learn that being the head of state he is also entitled for car as big as room for comfortable travel.
September 24, 2021In a letter to PM Narendra Modi seeking his intervention to end this ‘unhealthy’ practice, the RDA of AIIMS-Bhubaneswar stated that priority is being given to politicians and party workers while there were no facilities for doctors even after they tested positive.
April 15, 2021Only a thin line differentiates Socialist populism from the dismantling of a VIP-culture, and the Railway ministry seems to be tottering on it. rather than get down to the hard but unglamorous task of shedding the “risky” tag that now attaches itself to train travel. Mishaps marked the arrival of the new minister just after …
Continue reading "Only gallery-play?"
October 11, 2017Following the ban of red beacon lights, loud speakers and multi-toned horns are apparently being used in Haryana to exhibit VIP status. Taking note of the incidents of using loud speakers or multi-toned horns atop their vehicles by the vehicle owners with a view of exhibiting their VIP status as an alternative to beacon lights, …
September 20, 2017Prime Ministerial diktat may have ensured the dismantling of red beacons, but securely intact remains the VIP culture of which those lights atop cars were symbolic. And, as often happens when VIPs are at fault, a lowly inspector of police in Punjab takes the rap and gets suspended. The “crime” under focus not being any …
Continue reading "Crowded bandwagon"
August 20, 2017Consider the paradox. Prime Minister Narendra Modi exhorted his party MPs from Uttar Pradesh last week to give up the mindset of lal batti, specifically to be humble, shun any notion of hierarchy, and freely mingle with the common man. In parallel, the UP government directed all District Magistrates to earmark separate lanes for MLAs, …
Continue reading "Cult of the VIP"
July 31, 2017Old habits die hard, and so does the deeply ingrained feudal mindset of our rulers who feel that they are and shall always remain more equal than all others, no matter if the country they live in happens to be a democracy that promises equal rights and liberties to every citizen. So they are not …
Continue reading "Flutter in the wind"
June 24, 2017The theory that “well-begun is half-done”, unfortunately, is unlikely to come into play in respect of the government’s excessively-hyped ban on red beacons on VIP-carrying vehicles. The claim is that a bid is underway to dismantle a sickening, discriminatory culture, when in reality only a symbol is being addressed. Ushering in a “cultural” revolution will …
Continue reading "Purely symbolic"
April 22, 2017With the ban on red beacon lights atop official VVIP vehicles slowly becoming a reality in most parts of the country, a Punjab and Haryana High Court lawyer on Friday sought a similar ban on the use of pressure horns and hooters on vehicles. Through a demand notice to the chief secretaries of Punjab and …
Continue reading "Now, demand for ban on pressure horns and hooters"
April 21, 2017Himachal Pradesh Governor Acharya Devvrat on Thursday removed the red beacon from his official vehicle. His move came a day after the Narendra Modi government put a countrywide ban on it from May 1. Devvrat directed the removal of the red beacons from his official vehicles along with other vehicles attached with him, an official …
Continue reading "Himachal Governor Acharya Devvrat shuns red beacon"
April 20, 2017Following the Union government's announcement to ban red beacons on official vehicles from May 1, chief ministers of many states and Union ministers have embraced the decision and removed the red beacon from their respective vehicles, just a day after the announcement was made. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat was the early trendsetter to …
Continue reading "VIP culture: State CMs remove red beacons from vehicles"
April 20, 2017The government has no plans to cut back on security to VIPs, Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu on Thursday said, a day after the Centre banned the use of beacon lights atop all vehicles, except emergency vehicles like ambulances and fire brigade. "With regard to security, it is necessary in the interest of the country because …
Continue reading "Govt will not reduce security given to VIPs: Venkaiah Naidu"
April 20, 2017Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami on Thursday removed the beacon light from his car following the Union cabinet decision to do away with the VIP culture. The chief minister personally removed the red beacon light from his car a day after the Union cabinet decided that beacons atop all official vehicles will have to be …
Continue reading "Tamil Nadu CM, 4 other ministers remove beacons from office vehicles"
April 20, 2017Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Wednesday welcomed the Union Cabinet's decision to get rid of red beacons from all vehicles from May 1, saying it is a "healthy step that will further strengthen the country's democratic fibre". Such regressive symbolism promoted by the VIP culture that has prevailed in India for decades needs to be …
Continue reading "Amarinder welcomes Centre’s decision on red beacons"
April 19, 2017Haryana education minister Ram Bilas Sharma on Saturday took a jibe at the Congress government's bid of ending the VIP culture in Punjab, saying that banning use of beacons is futile if the ministers in neighboring state still travel with a number security guards. Sharma told The Statesman that merely advertising something is not enough as …
Continue reading "Haryana min takes jibe at Punjab’s move of ending VIP culture"
March 25, 2017