Ex-Prime Minister of UK David Cameron stands in London train as there was no seat. He did not shout “Do you not know who I am?” or beat other passengers for not offering him a seat. Indian MP or so-called “VIP’s” , of any party, would not have shown such restraint. And no ex-PM in India would have traveled in a train like a common man as David Cameron did
To Shriman Argeeji, Member RWA Managing Committee
Respeccted Bhau Saheb,
Congratulations for being in the news once again even before we could answer your letter to the Resident’s Welfare Association about the grave injustice done to you,an eminent member of a prominent caste to which some kings belonged, by Apartment security men, whom we have now removed (they were from North East, anyway (not amchi maanus).
We read in the newspapers that you have again had a brush with authority, now the Mumbai police. The reporter did not say how many times you beat the policemen with slippers. It may be because (1) he/she was weak at counting, (2) thought it was too obvious Continue reading Slippers for a ‘VIP’ (Old Ones Will Do)
‘Elected’ to take law into own hands, not to make laws.
THIS MAN IS STILL FREE on March 28 evening – four days after he attacked with a shoe an Air India employee, Kumar, for making him sit with the common people in the economy class of a plane which has only economy class seats.
The Prime Minister is silent. So is Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, a nice, cultured, humble, lady I had seen in Indore going around from house to house in her campaign against a not-so-humble Prakash Chandra Sethi (incidentally, also famous for misbehaving with an airhostess in a plane), an ex-Chief Minister and Central Minister.
She has won then. Now she lost to ‘coalition dharma’.
And all because his ‘party’, the Shiv Sena, is a partner in NDA, the ruling coalition. And many in Parliament and outside, used the occasion to point out how bad Air India service is – as if that justified its employees being beaten with shoes, abused in foul language and almost thrown down from the plane.
The Shiv Sena fully justified Gaekwad’s actions. He has eight criminal cases against him and they will go on for decades. The Congress partly sided with him saying Air India service is bad. After all it has to support V. Hanumantha Rao, its ex-MP, for abusing and misbehaving with police in Hyderabad saying he could not be stopped because he was AICC Secretary. Rao whom I had known in his youth Congress days, does not say ‘one of the many AICC secretaries ‘.
Even Narendra Modi, due to ‘coalition compulsions’ indirectly backed Gaekwad who had insulted BJP saying, when beating Kumar, that he was not a BJP (spineless) MP to keep quiet if not offered a business class seat. The police are “still investigating”. The Speaker thinks it did not happen inside Parliament and so no action need be taken.
So the message is clear. You can beat up your MP if think he/she is not doing enough for the constituency. If a government official is sitting on your file (as they normally do) your shoe can be used on him or her.
When power becomes the sole objective of a party ‘adharma’ can become ‘coalition dharma’.
A FRENCH MINISTER RESIGNED recently when it was found that he had employed his two teen-aged daughters in his office. Bruno Le Roux’s daughters worked as parliamentary assistants during holidays and paid from public funds.
In contrast, most Indian politicians, who misuse their power to accumulate wealth or commit other illegalities, deny it vociferously, defend their acts, get their parties to back them and then quit, only when forced to and disgraced.
