From Change of Guard to Change of Capital by Puneet Rajhans

Public scrutiny and change of capital

As dates of US Prez's arrival and departure are out in the public domain, the security personnel have a job on hand to keep him from public scrutiny and provide him a layer of security that keeps the public trust in him intact. The security personnel have a tough job on hand given the visit beginning from Mumbai which never happenned before for any US Prez and the public spaces that would be on his itinerary. The Prez could drop for a function here and there and the probable territories are being monitored with the state of public toilets being the first benchmark for checking the state of preparedness. As the unnamed number of security men deported from Afghanistan and Iraq and deployed for Prez security, with India being their first assignment, the first thing they are supposed to do is to ease and release the tension they built up during their unwarranted stay in zones that never required their year on year presence.

As Presidential duty would see them stretch beyond natural call of duty , they would be the first to attend to any nature's call - given the enduring wait for Prez's arrival - which they stopped doing it as long as they were stationed in Afghanistan and Iraq. Though the security personnel resisted till the last hour that his itinerary should come out at the eleventh hour, as it is now in the public domain they would see to it that the Prez's convoy go past the public areas of announcements and agitations at a speed that Thackerays and Truckers haven't done before. In the line of duty they would be asked to ensure the serpentine queue from Mumbai Airport to hotel is long enough (even if Prez takes chopper for some distance)to advertise the wave of support the Prez has in this part of the world ever since he declared his intent to declare India as a natural ally. Perhaps it would be a response of sorts, given the slow response of the Chinese to build up the crowd on the way to the hotel when he was there in November last year.

Probably the case of first US Prez landing other than Delhi, it would be befitting for the Prez to inspect the proposed site to the Navi Mumbai Airport and all other sites that have won the battle against agitations in the streets for long. As he retires for the day in his hotel room it would be a perfect opportunity to check on some Tamil and Hindi flicks as his fondness for Kalaignar and Suriya has grown ever since he spoke to them in Tamil. Once out of Mumbai and on a flight to Delhi post innumerable rounds of buffet with politically preserved and prospered business entities, he would be carrying sheets of papers inarguably the content for his New Delhi address.

The first address by him to the joint House of Commoners (The LS has largely members from humble beginnings) and House of Coordinators (The RS has largely benches occupied by those having meddlesome/middlemen nature). And here he would reveal the feedback he got from Mumbai from street vendors to business magnets turned media honchos on how agitated they are at the summoning of their leaders to New Delhi following the time now time then scoop which never got to the heart of the story and just trained guns on the small fish. The Prez would declare: "My dear residents of India the sense that i have got from Mumbai is that it is time that the national capital is shifted to Mumbai to realise the full potential. The business comes to a standstill, the people refuse to take calls and bets and the whole city is on the edge whenever the leader from the state irrespective of the party s/he belongs to is summoned to Delhi. And consider the windfall losses that accrue following the summons as Mumbai circle itself contributes over 70 per cent of tax collection. So my friends and foes across aisle i strongly suggest that efforts should be made to give the recognition to Mumbai it deserves.

As Prez would wound up his speech there would be charges and counter charges over forces responsible for his speech. As Prez would again retire to the hotel room secured with the belief that he had set the stage for his visit to Pak and dates could be conveniently announced once his aircraft is out of Indian airspace.
The handouts the legislators were handed out post Prez departure noted the essentiality of the Mumbai campaign. The Mumbai's grand assimilation of ideas by bringing under its fold men, women and babies from the Hindi Heartland to South of Vindhyas. One has lost count of the employment it generates for them and the personnel it exports to the Middle East. The scam and scamsters it has booked from streets of Navi Mumbai to Dalal street shows the system up and running.

As for New Delhi, it could be transformed into cultural nervecentre given its no sensitivity to hold seminars and symposium. Once this decision of a cultural capital is made, the politics would cease to exist and business would cease to bleed given the corruption tales that tail it now and then courtesy time now time then scoops. The suggestion has been made seeing after all the mayhem and massacre of material and manpower in the run up to CWG Games - and it was only the man from Maharashtra who could deliver against such insurmountable odds. So my natural allies the men in Maharashtra are quite agitated at the insurmountable summons that are coming from New Delhi and to keep the fires from spreading take the next big step.