Lal batti off, siren on: Netas skirt ban on red beacons, refuse to let go VIP culture
An India Today probe has found that cars of netas may not be flashing red everywhere, but screaming sirens continue to announce the arrival of VIP motorcades across the country.
In Short
- Lal batti was banned by the Centre in April
- India Today has found how hooters have replaced beacons
- In West Bengal VIPs are still using lal batti
On its part, the Narendra Modi government has ordered a cull of red beacons, a symbol of elitism. The country welcomed the measure as a leveller when it was announced in April. But an India Today reality-check has found the ruling elite remains as entitled as before despite the lal batti ban.
Their own cars may not be flashing red everywhere, but screaming sirens continue to announce the arrival of VIP motorcades across the country, the probe found out.
Aided by heavy security details, the cavalcades continue to halt traffic to allow a priority passage to our elected representatives, reducing the highly-touted ban on red beacons to a farce.
Some central ministers included, a number of VIPs, have been found to have invented new ways to show-off their position.
GUJARAT'S LAL BATTI CULTURE WITHOUT LAL BATTI
In Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state of Gujarat, the motorcade of union minister of state Parshottam Khodabhai Rupala was in itself sufficient to draw public attention to his elitist status.
His car had no coveted "lal batti" on its roof, but his caravan was seen making a loud statement during his visit to Narmada.
The scene was no different in Vadodara, where another union minister of state Mansukh Mandavia arrived for an event.
When confronted about the "lal batti culture" without a "lal batti", he praised the PM's initiative as a great gesture but sought to justify the apparatus moving with him as part of security requirement.
"I have to move like an ordinary citizen, but security is a different set-up. I move around in accordance with the security detail provided to me by the government. I have taken nothing more than that," Mandavia insisted.
SIREN A SYMBOL OF VIP IN UP
In Uttar Pradesh's Chandauli, siren-blaring jeeps led and followed state minister Rajendra Pratap Singh's car.
With a guard behind shading his head from the sweltering sun, he downplayed the entire paraphernalia around him.
"My own car has no siren or red beacon. But a system is there in place. People are standing out in the sun. It's my duty to stop and meet with them. It's all part of the system. It should not be taken otherwise," he said.
But the VIP culture in Uttar Pradesh was seen in totality at a recent sangam event in Allahabad.
Many cars of MLAs and other dignitaries, accompanying Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's motorcade, had sirens mounted on their roofs instead of red beacons.
DISPLAY OF POWER IN MADHYA PRADESH
India Today's reality-check also noticed a similar display of power and status in neighbouring Madhya Pradesh.
"There's no ban on sirens. How will we clear the crowds if we don't have them?" said Gauri Shankar Bisen, a minister in the Madhya Pradesh government.
In the hill-state Uttarakhand, car-mounted horns seemed to be more of a norm than an exception, visible as they were at various locations in Dehradun.
OPEN DEFIANCE IN WEST BENGAL
In West Bengal though, the probe found an open defiance of the central order on red-beacons, with several powerful figures refusing to let go of their privileged "lal battis".
"It's no big deal using a red beacon. Till we get orders from the state government, we will not remove it," said state minister Shanti Ram Mahato after he alighted from his VIP car.
Also read:
West Bengal minister uses red beacon atop his car, says not bound by Centre's orders
'No one has the guts to arrest me': Kolkata Imam Barkati defies red beacon ban
Also watch:
Lal Battis gone, VVIP culture stays: Hooters are netas' answer to beacon ban