I don’t like her – at all – but I did always think that she’s a smart cookie. After all, didn’t she suddenly “hear the voice of her conscience” and give the kursi to Manmohan Singh? Smartly avoiding all the backlash for the economic, development and security woes plaguing India.

Well, today I found another reason to believe she’s done.

I was driving from home to my office at Nariman Point today, usually a 10-minute sojourn, when I encounter traffic around Cooperage-Mantralaya. You can see how bad the traffic was from my Twitter feed – yes, I actually had time to sit and Tweet from the car through Snaptu.

I crawl on, and turn left at Air India towards my parking lot around the Trident-Oberoi. Only to find that it’s been blocked off.

Swearing under my breath, I proceed towards the (expensive) Inox parking lot.

It’s full.

A slow drive through Nariman Point reveals that none of the BMC Pay & Park lots are open for the public today.

So I drive home, park, and take a cab. With no clue of how I’ll get home, because no cabbies like driving the short distance from Nariman Point to Colaba in the evenings.

Elevator conversations indicate that colleagues driving in from Chembur have gone all the way to Colaba to park. Even Cuffe Parade has been sealed off.

The reason? It seems that Mrs. Gandhi is in town to inaugurate the Worli-Bandra Sea Link (Bandra-Worli Sea Link for all you ‘burbies).

Now for some statistics:
Number of visiting VVIP’s: One.
Number of security personnel: Infinite.
Roadblock announcements in newspaper: None.
No Parking announcements in newspaper: None.
Parking available in Nariman Point today: None.
Regard for the aam janata: None.
Possibility of a repeat performance tomorrow: 100%.

Now for today’s insight, boys and girls.

It isn’t the “smart” things that our netas do that gets people’s panties in a twist. It’s the little things they take for granted that turns the janata from meek little lambs into snarling, frothing wolves.

Because if nobody wanted to kill Sonia Gandhi before, this excessive security will surely make people want to now!