Think big but take us with you.

The Prime Minister has urged BJP members of parliament, as well as those friendly to the BJP, to " think big, far and above politics." Perhaps the Prime Minister should have explained what " think big, far and above politics " actually means. Our innocent MPs may think that far above politics means using Air India as their private airline to fly free with family and friends. They have demanded that Air India officials should give up their normal duties to welcome them with folded hands and passengers who have booked their seats in advance should be thrown out to accommodate them. For them thinking big means to get their children into politics so that they can also avail of thinking high. Being a MP does not require any educational or professional training but the returns would make any US senator cry with envy. With so many big and high ' amenities ' it is but natural the poor fellows cannot calculate their assets. Of course, MPs are not the only ones with children who need to be protected. Previously too, journalists have been sentenced to jail for writing an article on children, which they said was based on truth. The trick is to deny indignantly and hang on even when a former Chief Justice tells you that you are wrong, Indians have a habit of believing that there can be no smoke without fire and you cannot punish what people believe but if a genuine mistake is made than any amount of apologies will not be able to control the explosion of righteous indignation. The government has been able to stop all subsidies on diesel because of the fall in the international price of oil but it should now adjust taxes so that the prices of petrol and diesel are the same, as in other countries. If the price of oil rises suddenly, because of conflict in the middle east, they will be able to cushion the blow by lowering taxes. Having everything paid for by the taxpayer means that politicians cannot comprehend the daily struggle to survive for ordinary Indians like us. A global index has ranked the quality of life for people over the age of 60 years in 90 countries. Norway and Sweden are at numbers one and two while India is somewhere between 61 and 70. The reason is very high inflation combined with negative real interest rates which erode savings so that 78% of Indians have insufficient earnings after retirement. In an effort to reduce food inflation the government is allowing field trials of genetically modified mustard and aubergines. This is a dangerous move if the seeds come embedded with ' terminator technology ', which will force farmers to buy seeds every year. If crops are destroyed by inclement weather one year they will be left bankrupt. Also there has never been human trials of BT proteins which could be toxic long term. Think big by all means but please ask us because we are down here.