This morning, my salute went out to a set of airline flyers in Pakistan as they had the courage of forcing the airline to offload two Very Very Irritating Politicians (aka VVIPs) who delayed their flight. It's time politicians around the world realize that they cannot harass the very people who elect them as their representatives. I wonder when will we in India will stand up to such nonsense.
Then there was another piece of news that cheered me a bit more. Our Minister of Civil Aviation Mr. G Raju instructed Air India to lower VIP protocol and pay attention to fare paying customers. Honestly, a sizeable percentage of Air India's losses would vanish if it functioned as a customer friendly rather than a ruler friendly airline. The Minister has already made a few important but quite moves that has earned my respect. He does not make passengers wait. He checks in line ordinary passengers and even carries his own bags. He has initiated the Know Your Rights portal for passengers to tell them what to do when they feel that an airline is taking them for granted. So there is one more person in the Modi Cabinet (besides the PM) that I can look up to.
During the Congress rule, there was a list of 21 persons exempt from security search at all Indian airports. Numbers 1 - 20 were obvious; but number 21 baffled me. Robert Vadra. Not Priyanka, not Rahul but Robert. Even the CISF guys had no answer to this question. All they could say was "Desh Ka Damaad" (Son-in-law of the nation). Well No. 21 is off the list thankfully and really there should be no exemption list to begin with. What prevents any one of those 20 persons from becoming a suicide bomber theoretically speaking? They conveniently subject themselves to search at all international airports; but back at home - it's a different matter.
While at arrival and departures; India welcomes President Xi JinPing of China today on what is also PM Modi's birthday. Our PM is looking more and more like a Venture Capitalist getting term sheet after term sheet of commitments signed to fund India's infrastructure appetite. After Japan's USD 30 billion; China is looking at committing USD 100 billion. This is a very important statement coming from a nation that has been officially at "Cold war" with us since 1962. PM Modi's "Inch to Miles" strategy can be a game changer for the entire world taking away the traditional monopoly of the western nations moral policing the globe militarily and economically. But, one always questions the Chinese agenda. Is the money linked to resolving the land and water dispute between the two nations running over a territory of a 1000kms? Or is it the recognition of Tibet as a part of China that will allow our neighbour to recognize Arunachal as part of India. Too early to say but I hope it's time that "Hindi-Chini" became "Bhai Bhai" again (India- China brotherhood).
(LOL amazing that one news reader thought the Chinese President's name was Eleven JinPing (Xi JinPing) )
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