Thousand Times Better

Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena rated Atishi, the newly minted Chief Minister of Delhi, to be a thousand times better as a CM than our man AK. The LG made this remark during a convocation ceremony of Delhi Technical University for Women. Dilliwalahs, skeptical as they are, did not bite into this. This is not because of any love for our man AK but because there is a question mark over the mathematical capabilities of the LG given that he and his officers at Delhi Development Authority (DDA) could not correctly count the trees felled for widening a road. And a thousand is a big number for someone who is mathematically challenged! On probing Dilliwalahs referred to the Forest Survey of India (FSI) that has estimated the number of trees felled for widening a road in the ridge area at 1,670, which is more than double of 642 tree-count reported by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and LG Saxena. Incidentally Atishi also holds the education portfolio and can easily offer step-up classes at Raj Niwas but then it shall tantamount to her accepting the fact that ‘a thousand times better’ was a gross over-estimation and a mathematical miscalculation.

Atishi took charge as the Chief Minister of Delhi in September but as we all know, she set aside an empty chair for our man AK in the CM’s office. She claimed that she will work for four months before our man AK wins Delhi and comes back as the Chief Minister. This Bharat (of Ramayana) syndrome got Dilliwalahs talking: Bharat had kept Lord Ram’s khadaun on the throne while he waited for the Lord’s return from exile. Logically, therefore, Atishi should have kept our man AK’s Bata chappals if not his Adidas shoes on the chair. He surely has some spare pairs of footwear as he has had shoes hurled at him on more occasions than one.

With the elections of Delhi’s legislative assembly due to be held around the beginning of 2025, political parties have upped their game. The manner in which local leaders are shifting from one party to another makes one wonder as to how far are we from a stage when there will be IPL-style auctions for politicians. Anyway the scene is heating up and Dilliwalahs are subjected to some political drama or the other every day. Our man AK, whom the BJP guys call ‘drama queen’, has urged party MLAs and leaders to invite sanitation workers to their homes for tea. This call seems to be in response to the city BJP leaders planning to go to slums and spend a night there. Dilliwalahs believe that if instead of one tea party or one night-out at slums our politicians could address some very basic issues of livelihood – the lives of people at the bottom of the pyramid would become a thousand times better!

State-of-Delhi Suggests: Once Delhi’s air becomes ‘poor’ from the current level of ‘hazardous’ (that’s the new normal for the city) and some of you brave Dilliwalahs want to venture out then get to Chawri Bazaar. The weather is just right for a breakfast comprising of Bedmi Puri at Shyam Sweets. For the uninitiated – Bedmi Puri is a traditional flatbread made with whole wheat flour, urad dal and spices. It is to be had with ‘alloo ki subzi’ and then, as the Dilli-6 tradition has it, you follow this up with Nagori Halwa. If only the LG could get there along with Atishi for breakfast their equation could become a thousand times better!