This is because VIP culture is not so much about freebies, convenience or perks as about pomposity of rank. It is to tell the janata who their new royalty is, and who matters in this country and who (the fare-paying citizen) doesn’t. You can go around the world and you would not find such idiocy. Not in the US, Japan, UK, all of Europe, China. Not even in Pakistan. One of the really progressive things Nawaz Sharif did early in his second tenure as prime minister was to throw open the airport VIP lounges to anybody for a charge — then Rs 500.

But in our country we have moved backwards. Nobody seems immune from this temptation, not even us in the media. The ‘Press’ stickers for our vehicles were invented so we could have easy passage through curfews and riots. Today these are a ticket to many privileges, including jumping traffic lights, illegal parking and avoiding traffic fines. Once again, the janata is not amused.

The rise and the proliferation of VIP culture have dovetailed viciously into the increasing public perception of political corruption to feed this anti-politician, even anti-establishment, upsurge. An assault on VIP culture is now long overdue, and as the prime minister often says, nobody can stop an idea whose time has come. Maybe, in this case, a beginning would be made again with the institution responsible for initiating so much reform in our system, the higher judiciary. What an electrifying impact it would have if the Supreme Court were to announce one day that it wants no VIP privileges for judges, except necessary security. And who knows, one day soon an MP, maybe a Sachin Pilot or Milind Deora or Arun Jaitley or Jay Panda, may announce that he chucks these perks with the contempt they deserve, that he can afford to, and will, pay the 30-rupee highway toll. It would make the remaining 794 fall in line in no time.

... contd.