Sharon Stone

A lot of muck has been raised over the stone pelting incident involving the train Rahul Gandhi was travelling in. The cool blue LHB coaches of the Swarna Jayanti Shatabdi express that plies between New Delhi and Amritsar did suffer some damage, but then, thats not the moot point. Rahulji was one of the passengers in the train - not necessarily in the coach that was pelted though.

The image clearly shows the extent of damage that the window pane suffered. Rahulji was not at that window when the stone struck. Some other unsuspecting person, an aam aadmi, was. Does anyone bother to even find out whatever happened to that poor soul? NO. Why only Rahulji? Why not the aam aadmi?

Any regular traveller in the UP Bihar belt would narrate countless incidents of stone pelting. A travel between Solapur and Pune in the night would not be complete without the RPF (Railway protection Force) jawans asking one to shut the shutters. I have experienced this not once but half a dozen times. Not in a short time frame, but over a decade. The scenario remains constant. For more than a decade, everyday, some hooligans have been pelting stones on trains between SUR and PUNE. What the f*** have the police and other authorities been doing? Nothing more than asking the travellers to take evasive action!

A few stones on Rahulji's train makes national headlines and breaking news. Every goddamn journalist has something to say about it. Every police honcho wants mantris to stay away from the trains. Why? If it ain't safe for a mantri, how is it safe for the junta? A few stones have created such a huge ruckus. No stone is being left unturned (pun intended) in trying to nab those four hooligans who did the damage. But when for over decades the practice continues in a particular area, it is ok because its only the aam aadmi who suffers. I remember Naseeruddin Shah's character in that amazing film A Wednesday telling Anupam Kher..

"Aam aadmi se toh yehi umeed kee jaati hai,

ki aam aadmi ki tarah jiyo,

aam aadmi ki tarah bhukto,

aur aam aadmi ki tarah maro!"

A friend of mine happened to be a passenger in the economy class cabin of Spicejet the other day which unfortunately had Veerappa Moily showing austerity. All attention of the air hostesses was apparently directed towards the Mantriji and his ten chelas. The others were relegated to mere spectators in the two hour flight.

I have always had this query. Why is the aam aadmi ignored just to butter up some bastard who occupies a big gaddi or is a relative of one?

The title of the post is just to catch your attention !