Abuse and power

Dont you know who I am? Thats what Congress MLA Vinayak Nimhan asked the Indian Express-Loksatta security guard who had the temerity to ask him who he wanted to meet in the Pune office. Nimhan,who came with a posse of supporters and a police constable,then beat up the guard,Manoj Prahlad Jadhav,bruising and abusing him. Later,the police constable admonished Jadhav for talking to the MLA directly,instead of asking the constable first. Nimhan appeared nonchalant about the minor scuffle,asking how it was the newspapers business when the guard was employed by the G4S security agency.

It should be the business of anyone who has encountered this kind of open arrogance,especially by those who claim to represent the rest of us. Dont you know who I am are the six sordid words that go to the heart of all thats wrong with our entitled,loutish VIP culture where a simple,pro forma question that everyone else takes as a given,is construed as an impertinent challenge to the Important Persons place in the universe.

Of course,this sense of privilege and insulation from the rules that apply to earthbound members of the public can manifest itself in different ways. Some VIPs just glide through the lines where others stand in line,get frisked,or present ID,some flick away bans and laws that others have to abide by,and in some cases like Nimhans,it is manifested as open fury at being treated like everyone else especially by the working class.

Of course,in India,this idea of entitlement gets daily reinforcement. And individuals like Jadhav draw intimidatory behaviour for asking entirely legitimate questions.