Lok Sabha speaker Sumitra Mahajan’s new official car Jaguar XE costs Rs 48.25 lakhs. Politicians often prefer luxury cars for security reasons but what about the safety of the common man who pays their taxes regularly? Rapes and molestations are a regular affair in New Delhi and other cities too are not safe for women. Crimes are on the rise and so is inflation. The irony in our country is we don’t have proper roads even to walk at times but our elected representatives roam in luxurious sedans in the name of security. Can a poor country like India afford cars like BMW and Jaguars for their MP’s, MLA’s and Corporators when even toilets, overhead bridges and platform roofs are missing at many local stations for commuters? Prime Minister Narendra Modi talks about ‘Make in India’ slogans but his cabinet colleagues and those from the opposition miss no opportunity to use imported luxury items when it comes to satisfying their own comforts. Politicians are eligible for certain perks but those should be reasonable and time for PM to abide by what he preaches.
S.N. Kabra
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
