FACE THE NATION: Nip India's VIP culture

FIRST AMONG EQUALS: CNN-IBN panel debates if VIP culture is against the spirit of democracy.

            

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“Don't you know who I am”, seems to capture the spirit of India's VVIP and VIP syndrome that politicians and officials in power exhibit often.

It was this syndrome that was in evidence during the politicians’ outbursts on the frisking of former president APJ Abdul Kalam at the Delhi international airport.

While Continental Airline has now apologised, and Kalam himself doesn’t seem to mind being subject to rudimentary security checks, the Very Important Persons are not satisfied and legal action will now begin against the airline.

Taking a cue from the incident, CNN-IBN debated whether is was time for VIP privileges to end. To debate the question were Congress MP and Spokesperson, Manish Tewari; former Cabinet secretary T S R Subramanian and Managing Editor of Consumer, Sri Ram Khanna.

The politicians seem to be unaware that they are making a laughing stock of themselves when Kalam himself doesn’t seem to mind the check.

Manish Tewari would have none of it. He said Kalam was not reacting because he was a “modest man” and that protocols must be followed under all circumstances.

VIPs: FIRST AMONG EQUALS?

But many would contend that the term VIP is outdated in a democracy. “That one billion people will be frisked and 35 will be exempt was an administrative order to inferior officers of BCAS and normally it is followed. But if tomorrow Bill Clinton were to take the same flight and was frisked, would Americans protest that their former president was violated and sue the Indian government?” Sri Ram Khanna questioned.

Khanna explained the conflict of rules and that the TSA regulations (American) applied to everyone. Therefore, one couldn’t possibly become an exception under American law. “If they don’t frisk him, they’ll be violating American law,” he said.

But is it time the VIP syndrome ended? TSR Subramanian said India’s God-like treatment of politicians was against the tenets of democracy. “It’s absurd. That culture has to go. In this matter, it’s the Government’s failure. They should have come to an agreement consistent with American law and our requirement,” he said.

So the view coming out of the incident is that India’s national honour is so fragile that it rests on an incident where a former President being put through rudimentary security checks.

Tewari took off from Subramanian’s argument, saying he was appalled by it. “Are you trying to say that an American airline on Indian soil is more obligated to follow American instruction rather than Indian instructions?” he questioned.

But politicians seem to be far too prickly about the issue – probably because they comprise the VIP tribe – choosing to call it a matter of national pride. Subramanian suggested the VIP list be cut down drastically.