Monday, February 18, 2013

Who created VIPs?

In September 2003 the government spent Rs 7.27 billion in buying 5 mid-sized Embraer 135BJ Legacy jets and in October 2005 another Rs 9.37 billion on 3 Business Boeing jets for VVIPs to travel around in. TOI, 14 February. For foreigners, who are innocent of who this strange creature is who requires such extravagant luxury, a VVIP is a special Indian disease called Very Very Important Person. This person has achieved this very exalted rank not because he or she has made a tremendous sacrifice for the country, invented something earning a fortune, such as Google does for the US, or achieved enormous honor for the country, such as winning a Nobel Prize. Oh no. These are people either born into families which have a vice like hold on political power or by years of shamelessly strenuous boot licking, also known as sycophancy, or have won an election by spending huge amounts of black money, earned through criminal activities with the help of armed goons. In 2009 Obama turned down a deal to buy AugustaWestland-101 helicopters for his use because they were too expensive. Obama, by the way, is the President of the US of A which is a $15 trillion economy. However, the Congress led government had no hesitation in ordering 12 AW-101 helicopters in 2010, 8 in VVIP configuration and the other 4 just non-VVIP. Of these 3 have already been inducted in the IAF's elite Communication Squadron. The cost of this deal is a mere Rs 37 billion when every deficit, whether it is fiscal, trade or Current Account, is dangerously red. This leads to 2 questions which may sound silly but is vitally important to us - 1. Where are these VVIPs spawning from and 2. Who flies these insanely expensive planes. Seems that Indian Air Force pilots have been tasked with flying these people around. Between April 2009 and May 2012 VIPs travelled by IAF planes and helicopters on 1888 occasions for a total cost of Rs 288.30 million. msn.com, 8 May 2012.Apparently our most revered Prime Minister is entitled to use IAF planes for non official purposes. For us of lower rank and intellect we would be grateful to know what non official means. Does it mean attending a somebody's marriage ceremony, a football match or a movie? Why are highly trained IAF pilots being used as chauffeurs when Air India pilots, earning over Rs 10 million per year, are sitting around doing nothing because Air India has cut services but not its staff? No wonder Pakistan can send in terrorists and behead our soldiers in complete certainty that we will go on " bended knees " begging for peace. Who has created this super class of people called VVIPs who dismiss us as aam aadmi to be taxed into poverty so that they can show off? God definitely has not. Is it the Constitution then? If so, it must be junked and, if not, they must be. Time for another Sepoy mutiny?

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