Ostentatious Austerity

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Heard in political, bureaucratic and aam-aadmi circles

1) How do you end the Austerity debate: Declare the country drought free. If there were no drought, the UPA wouldn't have to show it cared for the poor.

2) FM to the cabinet: Don't worry dear colleagues, the austerity will only last a year. (We don't want you to be austere forever).

3) Reporter to Congress MP: Sir how come you are roaming around in a 5 star. I am an MP. It doesn't apply to me. It's only applicable to Ministers.

But sir shouldn't you be showing that you care for the drought affected?

I do. I have given 20 per cent of my salary to the drought hit. Besides its raining now. Delhi is flooding. I hope we don't have to show our sympathy for the flood-hit now.

4) Only if someone knew why it has taken the CPWD more than 100 days to repair Shashi Tharoors official residence.

The PWD has a tough task; Tharoor's predecessor left what can only be called a dormitory.

5) Losing such well to do guests in these times of recession must be tough on the Taj and the Maurya Sheraton.

6) Some of the reasons given by our ministers when they were not jumping on the Austerity bandwagon:

Sharad Pawar said minister's work better on flights if traveling in comfort.

They have five years? What they can't achieve in 5 years, they expect to complete in a 2-3 hour or even a 10 -12-hour flight?

7) A couple of Central government ministers, whose personal wealth run into crores, have been asked to stop spending their own money on accommodation, and waste/spend the taxpayers' instead. And here we thought you had to spend your way out of the recession?

8) And the best for the last: It cost the nation millions to keep Gandhi (Mahatma) in poverty? It's turning out to be the same for the UPA as well.