Raajneeti Ho Ya Sadak, Hum Har Jagah Apni Chal Chalate Hain. Rajasthan Deputy CM’s Son Flaunts Power with Police Escorts. Why Is India Still Allowing Politicians’ Families to Misuse Power?

A recent video again put the Indian issue of VIP culture into the limelight. The video is that of Ashu Bairwa, son of Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Prem Chand Bairwa, driving a Jeep open hood with friends and violating traffic rules, taking fun moments with friends, and on his way being escorted by police vehicles. 

Alongside him was Kartikeya Bhardwaj, son of Congress leader Pushpendra Bhardwaj.

This is the instance of that Instagram reel captioned so boldly with the words “Raajneeti ho ya sadak, hum har jagah apni chal chalate hain”, that inflamed citizens right across the country. 

It is disturbing to see police vehicles, which are supposed to be an instrument of public protection and law and order, being used for such frivolous activities. This brazen misuse of public resources is a grim reminder of how the VIP culture has run uncontrollably over the moral fabric of the nation.

It reveals this hard truth, political families believe they are above the law. They feel they deserve privileges that ordinary citizens can only dream of, using police and other government resources as personal entertainment. This is not only just one video in question; it’s a far, far more significant issue of VIP culture that has been infesting India for ages.

VIP Culture Problem

This VIP culture has now proved to be a disease for society. It is a system in which the politicians and celebrities, being elites, get special treatment and rudimentarily ignore laws and rules, causing normal citizens to face all the consequences. This culture manifests in many ways; blockage of traffic due to VIP passes, utilising public resources to serve personal purposes, avoiding legal consequences, and exploiting police protection meant for real threats to public safety.

VIP culture is not new, but it has reached an alarming level. What we see in this viral video is just a snapshot of a much bigger problem that has been going on for years. Politicians and their families believe they can do anything and get away with it because they have power. This sense of entitlement has grown so strong that whatever they do with resources seems to lack any boundary or difference between personal and public

If giving extra security to the political leaders, there lies the security concept to protect them from real threats. Here, with Ashu Bairwa, we find a different version of mockery depicted in the video. 

Two police vehicles were escorting one young man and his friends enjoying a drive around town in an open jeep with their reckless driving to the point of endangering themselves and other innocent people. 

These police, who are supposed to ensure the safety of the general public, are instead made to take on the role of personal bodyguards for these political families as the unsuspecting public bears the brunt of the absence of security and rule of law.

Privilege of the Political Families

What is most frustrating about this incident is the entitlement to political power. Ashu Bairwa and his friends can drive around freely with police escorts; they can break all traffic rules and misuse public resources without a worry in the world. 

These people have protection from their parents’ political influence. They somehow know that whatever they do, there will probably be no real consequences. It’s the very core of VIP culture: to truly believe that the rules that apply to ordinary citizens do not apply to them.

Deputy Chief Minister Prem Chand Bairwa’s reaction to this incident is an example of this entitlement mentality.

Instead of admitting that what his son did was wrong, the Deputy Chief Minister chose to play down the matter. He says his son is young, and he was out with his friends for entertainment, meaning not in malice. 

This is no excuse, though. To be youthful does not accord the right to misuse public resources or to put others at risk by violating traffic laws. And let’s not forget, Ashu Bairwa is no ordinary youth, the son of some high-ranking government official, somebody who should lead by example.

It’s worth mentioning that Prem Chand Bairwa had said a police escort was there for Ashu’s safety, but what threat did he face? Was Ashu Bairwa at risk while cruising in the rain in his expensive jeep with friends? Or yet another evidence of the abuse of power by political families, those who deploy police for only their amusements and pleasures? The public eye isn’t blind to this. It wasn’t about safety. It was about letting people know they are special because of politics.

Abuse of Public Resources

In this incident, it has nothing to do with personal privilege but is, in fact, a kind of abuse in the use of public resources. Police officers and their vehicles are paid for through tax money. Their purpose in police work is meant to serve the public, protect citizens, and maintain peace and order. It is such an insult to ordinary people who hope to be kept safe by them.

Imagine one or more of you, your family members, or friends getting themselves into trouble. The first call made is to the police for assistance, only to find that the officers supposed to be on that beat were out wasting time on an escorted joyride with a politician’s son. This is a VIP culture. Public resources meant to serve the greater good serve the private interests of the few instead.

That is not the first time we have seen such a misdirection of resources. Various instances over the years have been witnessed where politicians and their families use public resources for private purposes. From traffic blockades meant for VIP movement to government vehicles for personal errands, the instances go on. 

And every time this happens, public trust in government institutions gets eroded. How can ordinary citizens trust the police when they see them being used as personal chauffeurs for the political elite?

Previous Incidents of VIP Culture

This is a new incident in a series of VIP culture unveiled and exposed repeatedly over time. Some other cases of high-profile misuse of power by those in the political offices and their families include-

Ravindra Gaikwad’s Air India Incident (2017)

Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad assaulted an Air India staff member for not upgrading his seating. He did not even get a stern warning due to his political connections; this recent incident is the perfect example of how politicians go scot free just because acts of violence are committed by them just because of their VIP culture.

Road Blockades for VIP Procession Road 

The blockades were set up at every nook and corner of the country so a motorcade for VIPs could pass. So, thousands of common people waste hours because of such VIP movement, and some instances have been so grave that ambulances failed to reach hospitals on time. The routine of ordinary folks is halted for the comfort and uninterrupted journey of a politician.

Jayalalithaa’s Convoy Blocks an Ambulance (2013)

Recently, in a typical instance of this so-called VIP culture, a man with acute illness was taken in an ambulance but had to wait for its way to clear because a convoy of then-Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa was on the road. As a result, the man died due to delay. It reflected how deadly the VIP culture can be because what is needed for the lives of some great VIPs is given priority over ordinary citizens.

Salman Khan’s Hit-and-Run Case

Salman Khan is one of the Bollywood leading actors, who in 2002 was accused of a hit-and-run case where one person had been killed. He enjoyed immunity for more than ten years because of his fame and proximity to other influential people. Salman was condemned for this crime in 2015, but according to many people, such punishment for an ordinary citizen would have been far more severe.

These are just a few examples of how this VIP culture allows the powerful to get away with acts, since they are allowed to flout the laws and misuse public resources, while the rest of us suffer. Be it politicians, film stars, or other sections of wealthy elites, they allow such mis utilisation of public resources while the rest of us suffer in silence.

Why This Must Not Happen?

VIP culture is not merely an annoyance; it is a threat to democracy and equality. It generates and enables the erosion of a critical public trust when political individuals along with their families are granted the permission to break laws and misuse the public’s resources. This message has an alluring allure, which says that some people must be above the law.

Every time a politician or his family misuses power, it chips off the people’s esteem for those institutions that make up the government. How can one believe in leaders who are allowed to trip in police motorcades for their selfish joyrides? How can one trust the efficacy of the law when it is bent in favour of the super VIPs?

It creates a more than stark division between the mighty and the weak. While ordinary citizens are forced to conform to rules and take a rough edge for breaking those, VIPs go scot-free. This only increases the growing social inequality and fosters resentment among the general masses.

Abuses in police escorts for personal use. Resources are diverted away from where they are most needed. Police officers should be out patrolling the community to protect its citizens, and not escorting politicians’ children on joyrides. Diversion of public resources into personal use compromises the safety of ordinary people.

What Needs to Be Done?

Systemic reform, beginning with policies in place at societal and policy levels, is one of the things required to address the problem of VIP culture. 

There must be sensible policies that limit the use of police escorts and other public resources by politicians and their families. Such policies should also be keenly implemented without any exemption. Public resources should only be utilised in terms of official duty and not for personal fun or gains.

The politicians and their families must face book for their actions. If they misuse their positions, someone should ensure that there are strict consequences for such acts.

What Can Be Done to Tackle VIP Culture?

More awareness of the public, stricter legislation, and policy reforms will be a nice blend in handling VIP culture. Proper policies need to be enforced about police escorts, government vehicles, and other public resources. All their policies should be transparent and apply to every citizen, not just the regular citizen.

Laws must be enacted with no exceptions. From traffic rules to misappropriation of government funds, VIPs must be delivered the same punishments as the common man when the latter commits crimes. Mechanisms for the public to report cases of VIP culture and misuses of their powers should be made available. Such should then be given serious consideration in the course of investigation.

The ill effects of the VIP culture can be brought to public notice to exert pressure for change. When citizens are aware of their rights and proper usage of public resources, they can ask more from their leaders.

There is Ashu Bairwa’s case, among many others where such VIP culture plays out in India. This entitlement and privilege dangerously brews the very fabric of democracy and creates a segment of the powerful and the powerless. It is high time that India tackles these with policy reforms, strict law enforcement, and popular accountability.

Only then can we hope to have a society where everyone stands equal before the law and public resources are used for the benefit of all, not for a few.