Ground Zero: Why should people in Punjab pay for such high level security cover of political leaders?

Why is Punjab’s political class so scared?

There might not be any parallel to what at one level can be also labelled as the comic situation going by the level of threat that the political class across the board in Punjab perceives. They are the people who seem to have lost their personal freedom in the process.

Rather this is the only common denominator that unites this class of the most scared people, possibly in India.

The Indian Express on July 31 front-paged a story about one more bullet  proof high-end Land Cruiser that is to be added to the existing fleet of 16 such vehicles in the Chief Minister’s security set up. It would cost the taxpayers more than Rs 1.75 cr. This is the state that keeps the purse strings tight for the people on the excuse of high incidence of debt and stressed finances.

There is comic dimension too to this situation.

For years, the chief minister in Punjab has been functioning from the residence that is about one km from the Punjab Civil Secretariat where the chief minister’s office is located. The second floor of the secretariat where this office complex is located just can’t be accessed by ordinary mortals, like the chief minister’s residence. This office remains deserted.

The visits to the CMO are very rare and still this level of security. It is pertinent to mention that while going out even for a few kms, the chief minister prefers to fly. This too has been the tradition for years!

The Congress manifesto in 2017 Assembly election had promised to the people that the party after coming into power would avoid the use of helicopter. This promise too has been consigned to dustbin like many others. Anyway that is a different issue.

The official residence of Punjab chief minister used to comprise just one bungalow till Operation Bluestar in 1984. In Punjab, this brutal army attack on the Darbar Sahib complex (Golden Temple) is now cut-off date for many purposes. This complex has expanded to four bungalows over the years. And this area is just inaccessible to the common people. Even the MLAs used to be turned away from the gate earlier after the Congress replaced the Akali Dal in 2017.

One battalion of Punjab armed police based in Mohali is exclusively for the protection of the Punjab chief minister. Then there are members from other elite forces in this security detail.

One can travel to Badal village to have this feel as to how going out of power means little so far as the security dimension is concerned. The Badal family headed by now 5-time chief minister Parkash Singh Badal constructed its new castle like residence spread across many acres some years back. This complex might be having the highest boundary wall in the state around a private residence. All along on this wall is concertina fence. The residence from a distance can be mistaken for a high security installation. The security cover provided is provided by the government. It is tax payers money.

However, this is private life and it is for the person to make a choice as to how to live.

Should not such people pay for their personal security?

The basic issue is sucking the tax payer in the name of security.

It is tax-payers money that goes into providing them this level of security.

None any political party has ever objected to this wastage, what to talk of staging protests.

One can see even MLAs escorted by large number of policemen wielding the most modern automatics.

This at least is one aspect on which no government practices discrimination.

And the economy is bankrupt for the common people.