Despite being a shrewd politician for decades, Sharad Pawar continues to be blamed for any issue that goes out of control. The current blame game is in the skies

I have a friend. He is a sceptic and critic. Sometimes, I have a feeling that may be God has given him some extra brains that can connect something with anything or everything. Of course, some in our group think he is, what is called a pucca 'bheja-fry'. But on rare occasions he can leave everyone astonished and at a loss for answer with his weird and wacky questions. So don't take him seriously... but then, maybe one shouldn't take him too lightly either.
 
Just the other day, when he bumped onto me, his immediate question was, 'Who is the king of Indian aviation? Who really calls the shots in all our airlines? I first thought aloud about the 'Maharaja' and who control him, the then the blue seabird and its master-the King of Good Times, but he shot back-"You don't even know. This is very easy. It is Sharad Pawar". I was stumped. "How so?" I asked.

His answer: Mr Pawar controls the Indian aviation, just like he controls cricket, agriculture and the state of Baramati. You forgot the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Pawar's political outfit, I shot back. He said, "No. I haven't forgotten the NCP. You see, controlling a political party like the NCP, where everyone wants to be called a 'leader', is difficult. So what Pawar does is smarter; he controls or at least appears to control the leaders of leaders."
 
Confused, I said, "But how this is related with aviation? I know that he is a farmer from Baramati, he was president of the Board of Cricket Control of India (BCCI), which controls cricket and the controversial Indian Premier League (IPL), he had blessed joint ventures with Vijay Mallya to make wine (Baramati Grapes), but I don't know of his personal interest in the aviation business".
 
Giving me a look that sneered at my ignorance, my friend, the sceptic, said, "It was the power of Pawar that helped Praful Patel ruin the aviation ministry and help many friends to fly high." "You mean to say rule, right?" I asked. "No," he said. "While the Maharaja was doddering, Indian Airlines was back to giving stiff competition to the private sector airlines under chairman Sunil Arora. Flights were on time, service was good and the many 'pawar'ful private sector competitors were getting a run for their money".

"There was no way that anyone was going to jet to supremacy of the domestic skies, or rule the good times until Indian Airlines was on the comeback trail. So some pawar-play was required. Arora was removed and Indian Airlines was permanently crippled with the disastrous merger with Air India," my friend said.

In 2007, the combined loss of both Air India and Indian Airlines was Rs770 crore. At present, its operating loss alone is about Rs1,700 crore. "Do you know why Air India changed its plan to buy 18 small planes in short-range and 10-medium capacity planes to 50 medium capacity long-range planes? The whole deal was completed in just seven month as soon as Patel was made aviation minister," my friend continued.

The same thing is also revealed by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG), in its report. The CAG report said, "Government conveyed its approval on 30 December 2005 and the contract was signed by Air India with Boeing on the same day. From the receipt of the proposal to the signing of contract took seven months. Many of the key assumptions underlying the revised project report (for 50 long-range aircraft) were flawed".

According to information from the net, during that period, the King of Good Times was also on shopping spree and in 2005 alone he placed orders to buy about 48 planes from Airbus. Do you mean at present, Airbus would be crying for not been able to make sell the planes? I asked. "Hell, No. In fact, they would be happy because if Kingfisher is not going to take deliveries and pay the money, then they (Airbus) can speed up deliveries to others who are ready to pay," the sceptic gave me another dose of 'gyaan'.

But, what all this has to do with Pawar and the current situation in India airspace, I asked. "See, the King of Good Times is a good friend of Pawar and subsequently of Patel. So if he is in trouble or the sea flying bird is in trouble, it should extend to others as well. So the Maharaja has also fallen ill and its flights are in cancelled mode," the sceptic blurted out. "Do you know one more thing?" he whispered. "The Maharaja is also under the control of Pawar. And his blue-eyed Bunty is calling the shots in the pilots' strike," he said.
 
"This is too much. How can you blame Pawar for everything? Whenever there is some or the other issue like inflation, price rise of essential commodities, Indian cricket team losing, Mumbai not getting adequate water or roads are full of potholes, everyone wants to put the blame on him. Why?" I asked.
 
As an ardent believer is simple things, I think in simple terms. For example, although Pawar is a farmer, he is not selling his agriculture produce to you and me directly. It is the traders who buy from the farmers and then sell it at higher prices to retailers who in turn sell it for you and me at much higher rates. The poor 'sabjiwala' also has to support employees of local municipality and police as they are dependent members of his extended family. So if not from us then from where he will generate money for that 'hafta'? And yet, people like my friend blame Pawar for the sky-rocketing prices of vegetables and foodgrain.
 
The sceptic, however, was not in a mood to relent. "You see, the King of Good Times is really not having good times in the skies. In fact his buffalo is in the water. So it is the duty of friends, to force other buffalos in taking a dip in the water, for the sake of good times. This is why pilots from both the airlines are falling sick," he tried to explain.
 
"And do you know, Bunty is not even a pilot and yet he is leading the squadron from the front. Do you think he can guide the squadron and land safely without any help from Pawar?" my friend whispered.
 
OMG, I thought, this is really getting very haywire. As I remember, almost every union, be it labour or pilots, is headed by a politician. Why then blame Bunty? As I read somewhere, his aspirations are to become a minister in Thane, sorry, in Maharashtra. But may be his party colleagues have different thoughts and so they propelled him to lead pilots. This way if he lands safely, then he can be accommodated in the capital else they can blame him for the defeat and sideline him. Both ways the leaders of leaders would be happy.
 
The sceptic friend was still not willing to let me go. He said, "Do you know what the King of Good Times told his ailing pilots? He told them either accept whatever salary I am giving and whenever I am giving, or else I will ask Bunty to lead your union. And see the result, all the sick pilots immediately become fighting fit and are back on duty."
 
Now my head is really swinging. Before I faint, you please move away from this crocked sceptic and critic. And don't take him lightly… I mean don't take him seriously…          
 
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