Auto-rickshaw ride costlier than flying: Why we don't need a 'fact-check' to know if Jayant Sinha is right or wrong
From outrageous fashion trends to appalling comments, anything that's out of the routine, eye-catching and ear-grabbing sells in India. Following the same trend, our politics (read politicians) too has turned outrageous. It cuts both ways — making headlines and deflecting attention from core issues that sadly get drowned in the din of outrageous remarks by our leading lights.
Now, Union Minister Jayant Sinha claims that it is costlier to travel in an auto-rickshaw than to take a flight.
But before all of you jump on to your fact-checking spree to know if Sinha's claim is true or not, first listen to what he said: When one flies, one is charged Re 1 less than when one travels by an auto. "Today, airfare is less than that of an auto-rickshaw. You'll ask how is that possible? When two people take an auto-rickshaw, they pay fare of Rs 10 which means they're charged Rs 5 per km, but when you go by air you are charged Rs 4 per km," he said.
He had reportedly offered the same argument earlier this year as well. "In today's India, the fares of airplanes are lower than that of auto-rickshaws. Some people will say that I'm talking nonsense, but this is true," Sinha was quoted as saying here.
According to the minister, more people have been opting for air travel because the country has the cheapest fares in the world.
He then presented figures — "Four years ago, the number of people travelling by air was 11 crore. This year, it is likely to touch 20 crore."
The aviation ministry too claims that the number of air passengers in India is higher than railway commuters travelling in AC coaches. The number of air passenger trips in the country has doubled in the past four years, according to the government.
The minister and his calculation of auto-rickshaw and plane fares could be correct for all we know, but how does one find logic in comparing two different modes of transport used for different kinds of travelling purposes? While the politics of issuing public statements doesn't look beyond the short-term impacts of stirring the social media hornet, the ordinary citizen's life and fortunes hardly take off with such inane comparisons.
Then, why are politicians, cutting across party lines, seen making more and more outrageous comments, with the media giving them the air time they are craving for?
Going by the recent crosstalks, gaffes and hate messages uttered by politicos in India, Sinha's 'auto-rickshaw versus plane fare' would perhaps figure at the bottom of the list, especially after his recent act of garlanding lynching convicts and the regret that he sighed later.
But yet, his latest gem of a statement was neither entirely joyless for a laugh, nor too colourless for a jeer.
Welcome to politics today, which is also known as the wholesale outrage market, where there are no consequences for being bad at your job, or lying.
You just need to manufacture outrage and keep the discourse rolling. In some ways, it’s actually unfair to put all the blame on these sellers. We, the people, are equally at fault for 'garlanding' the likes of Sinha and his ilk with the 5 minutes of fame they crave so badly.
Earlier, even five years back, they would have been laughed at and dismissed for failing to uphold the standards expected of elected representatives, but with politics turning into a joke, surviving on hate-filled messages, vicious lies and manufactured outrage, such are our star politicians now.
The choice is yours — vote for your lives or vote them out.