http://www.indianexpress.com/news/of-slaps-and-shoes-and-sealing-wax/880890/
*Of slaps and shoes and sealing wax** * Tavleen Singh Posted: Sun Nov 27 2011, 01:27 hrs Everyone has a theory about why there has been such an explosion of urban rage in our ancient 'non-violent' land. What is it that makes people risk going to jail by slapping ministers and throwing shoes at them? Some say it is because of corruption in public life. Some blame it on rising prices and some believe it is inevitable in a country in which the middle class has grown so huge in such a short time. I have my theory. I believe that the reason why people are so angry in urban India is because they are sick to death of the way in which our elected representatives and high officials behave like feudal potentates. They are sick of seeing them wander about our cities in convoys of screeching cars filled with armed bodyguards. They are sick of the red lights on those screeching cars and they are sick of seeing how lavish the lifestyle of their representatives becomes after they get elected. On top of this, there is the problem that as long as you are in high office in India, you seem to remain above the law. If I owed the Government of India Rs 2 crore in unpaid dues, I would be in jail but the Speaker of the Lok Sabha can squat on property worth hundreds of crore rupees without paying the Rs 1.98 crore she owes as rent. How? If truth be told, I am as nauseated by the behaviour of our political class and high bureaucracy as anyone else is. I resent my taxes being spent on housing our ministers and MPs in palatial bungalows in Lutyens' Delhi when the city is unable to build affordable housing for its poorest citizens. I resent the way in which politicians and bureaucrats colluded to build their progeny a fancy school (Sanskriti) on public land in Delhi when there are not enough schools for our children. I resent seeing the children of ministers going on expensive foreign holidays when 45 per cent of Indian children are malnourished. What I resent most is that our political class colludes across party lines to ensure that this warped version of democracy continues to thrive. An example of this collusion came last week. The aged charioteer of the Bharatiya Janata Party threw a mighty tantrum and brought Parliament to a halt until he was allowed to discuss the subject of bringing 'black money' back from abroad. He knows well that the logistics of doing this is so complicated that it may never happen and that the government will happily concede his demand. It distracts attention from things that can be done. Why does Shri Advani not offer instead to ban BJP candidates from using black money for their elections? He knows well where election funds come from. If he is so concerned about the nation's money being wasted, why does he not offer to vacate his splendid government bungalow and order all his party MPs to do the same? Remember that one acre in Lutyens' Delhi sells for Rs 150 crore and Advani's bungalow sits on five. In no other democratic country, do elected representatives enjoy the perks and privileges that we bequeath ours. And, ironically, not even our communist MPs hesitate to claim them. I personally know many Leftist politicians and officials who bang on and on about 'the poor' but themselves live at taxpayers expense in a style that only billionaires can afford in India. On top of this, there is the arrogance of ministers and MPs who refuse to answer calls made to them by their constituents. Not just poor, anonymous constituents but rich and powerful ones as well. At the World Economic Forum's India Summit in Mumbai recently, I conducted a private poll and found that businessmen were sick of the difficulties they faced in getting through to ministers and senior officials. It is not for nothing that they have taken to writing open letters to the Prime Minister to draw attention to the need for better governance. As a humble columnist, I routinely find myself enraged by the number of times I have to call a minister to seek information that it should be my right to have. So, the reasons why we see such an outpouring of urban rage these days are many and mostly valid. I do not approve of the Minister of Agriculture being slapped in public nor do I approve of the Home Minister having a shoe flung at him, but they would do well not to ignore these signs of deep anger. At the moment, it is directed mostly at those who are in power. But, it would be a mistake to assume that it is not the entire political class who has lost the trust of educated, urban Indians. It makes for interesting and dangerous times. -- With best wishes S Chander
