Ruchik Vora

Pradyut Bordoloi, described by the Assam BJP in the quoted tweet as “one of the most corrupt, manipulative power-brokers Assam has ever seen, who plundered the state mercilessly during his tenure,” has ironically joined the BJP. From “anti-national corrupt,” he has now become “nationalist corrupt,” and hence all BJP supporters are requested to support him. Anyone not doing so will be considered a deep state agent.

A young man on a bike. Midnight. Going from office to home. A route so familiar it lived in his muscle memory. Every speed breaker, every pothole etched into his subconscious. The road didn’t need thinking. Until it vanished. For a fraction of a second, there was weightlessness, as if zameen khisak gayi under his wheels. Then free fall. A multi-foot drop into darkness. No chance to brake. No time to understand. He likely lost consciousness instantly, or was broken so badly that even reaching for his phone was impossible. He died alone, at the bottom of a pit. Kamal Dhyani, 26, fell into a pool sized ditch dug right in the middle of the road by the Delhi Jal Board, left open, unbarricaded. A death trap, assuming riders have night vision or divine protection. When Kamal didn’t answer calls, his family ran from one police station to another. Hours passed. Shrugs, paperwork, indifference. His body was finally “discovered” at 8 a.m., eight hours later, by a woman. Now comes the ritual: a “high-level inquiry.” Few suspensions. A few lakhs in compensation. Press notes. Folded hands. As if money can undo a free fall into govt apathy. And the sarkari system? It will dig again. Leave another pit. Somewhere else. Another night. Another rider.

A 4-lane flyover in Mira-Bhayandar suddenly narrows into just 2 lanes. MMRDA says this is due to space constraints and future planning. If space was the issue, a long merging ramp could have been provided instead of an abrupt 4-to-2 lane reduction. But in India, creating “modern engineering marvels” clearly takes priority over commuter safety. Hats off! And if anyone meets with an accident here, please don’t complain, just remember, it was all for space constraints and future planning.

A ₹12.35 crore under-construction ropeway collapsed in Rohtas dist, Bihar, during a trial run, days before inauguration. Not just the rope, but the pillars also collapsed. We criticise the govt when they do bad work but rarely praise them when they do something good. That’s not right. So here’s the credit where it’s due. By making it so low quality that it collapsed before inauguration, the Bihar administration has saved many lives. If the quality had been even a shade better, it would have collapsed after inauguration and could have been catastrophic. Thank you to whoever the honest people were behind this. I’m sure the entire ₹12.35 crore was spent on the project and nobody, from top to bottom, took any cut. God bless you for being the saviours.

A BJP MLA from Rajasthan was caught in a sting operation demanding a 40% commission to approve a project under the MLA-LAD fund, something long known to happen, but now on video. Take a simple example: if a road project worth ₹1 crore is approved for a village, ₹40 lakh is effectively pocketed by the MLA/MP even before the work begins. From the remaining ₹60 lakh, further cuts go to PWD officials, district and block officials, middlemen, fixers, audit and clearance facilitators, after which the contractor still takes his profit. What finally reaches actual construction may not exceed ₹10 lakh. That is precisely why such projects barely last a few months. In China, such a case would trigger a swift inquiry and severe punishment, including death penalty. In India, there isn’t even an FIR yet. Absolutely nothing will happen.

So far, not a single conviction from Lokpal’s recommendations. Not one. Imagine! Six years in operation, 50 crores+ annual budget, thousands of complaints, just six prosecution approvals, and zero convictions. It's not an anti-corruption body but a post-retirement rehabilitation centre for judges, babus, etc so that they can enjoy the same perks even after retirement. It should be abolished forthwith. It serves no purpose except adding a few more “lord sahibs” to the list of those feasting on taxpayers’ money.