Election Campaigning and VIP movement

I could not help but notice the stark difference in politicians' attitude when they are out for campaigning and otherwise. As I have written earlier, whenever these 'public servants' decide to translocate, it turns out to be the most trying of times for the public. Road diversions, traffic jams, two wheeler riders sweating it out in the sun, pedestrians waiting for eons to cross a road... The lesser mortals are kept as far away from the (atrociously long ) cavalcades as possible. Security is one of the primary reasons cited for this. But then, what happens when they are out campaigning? At such times, people are allowed to get as close as is humanly possible. They try to closely interact with everyone. Voters are hardly ever stopped from approaching them. Isn't their security of any concern then? Or is it that, they do not care when it comes to the question of garnering more votes? 

In the past 24 hours, I have been witness to both these kinds of incidents. Yesterday afternoon was when the BJP's top brass decided to show their faces to the people in and around HAL 3rd stage. The chief minister himself was part of one such road show. They even entered into the narrowest of lanes where reaching upto him was child's play. I myself drove my bike for quite some distance, along with the cavalcade. And in the second incident, while going to office today morning, I was witness to a VIP movement related traffic blockade . Traffic on airport road, near the command hospital, was held up for a few minutes, to let some official cars pass through. A cop was desperately signalling to all and sundry, to stay away from the road. The traffic from the opposite direction was stopped quite some distance away. Some people were left wondering, whether it was an emergency of sorts. But then, a handful of cars sped by, as if on a mission to save the planet. I am sure, it was nothing but just some 'public servant' who was going by. 

1. Travelling politicians.

My office being close to the Vidhan Soudha, in Bangalore, I am witness to one of the most elaborate, albeit annoying, rituals called 'VIP movement'. I guess, almost once a week, I get to see Cubbon road completely empty, from one end to the other. There are traffic cops at every signal and each break in the divider. Even the small bylanes are graced by the presence of these upholders of the law.As long as the whole cavalcade doesnt move out of sight, every ordinary person is barred from appearing on the road. Traffic is stopped at all the junctions, there are serpentine queues leading into the neighbouring roads. And all of this, for what? Just because one of our elected representatives suddenly needs to rush off for a relative's birthday bash, or has to catch a flight to go off on a foreign jaunt.

In case you are wondering why I did not use the title "VIP movement" for this post, it is because I do not believe that they are VIPs. A VIP is a truly important person in terms of how he/she has contributed to society, what skills the person has and how much influence is held over the collective psyche of a nation. I would say doctors, scientists, teachers, students are all VIPs. They are the ones who should be accorded the first right to reach their destinations on time. It isnt a rare case that students have missed their board exams because of being stuck on barricaded roads. What could be a bigger emergency than a doctor trying to reach a patient. Havent seen it happen myself, but the situation doesnt seem improbable, when an ambulance might have been stopped to facilitate the passing of a politician. At this stage, I can hardly suppress myself from making a comparison between this ritual and the crossing of animals on a jungle road, when on a safari.

A bigger cause for concern is the number of cars used in the cavalcade. In this age of global warming, where every government should play a pivotal role in formulating policies for reducing the emission of greenhouse gases, how can this obscenely high use of fuel be justified? Even if there have to be many people travelling together, why arent buses ever used? Why arent more people packed into one vehicle? Why is it that only the regular commuters have to travel in overfull city buses? Why to call them our representatives, when they do not represent (and have never experienced) the true hardships faced by the common man?