For more than 50 years, Hindustan Motors’ Ambassador saloon has been the symbol of Indian politicians and government representatives. But in the view of recent Mumbai terrorist attacks, the iconic Ambassador seems to have lost its sheen among the politicians.
Recently, ministers from Assam demanded a bulletproof Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV), Tata Safari, instead of the bulletproof Ambassador. This has created a lot of problem as VIPs have refused to use their allotted bullet proof Ambassadors. A police official said, "At the moment, we do not have bullet proof Safaris and, so, we are not in a position to give them their preferred vehicle."
Ambassador, lovingly known as Amby, was launched in 1957 and at one point of time was the most popular car in India. Air force and army have their own Ambassadors with starred rank plates.
Surprisingly, when it comes to other cars, our politicians are not that flashy. Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh still owns a Maruti 800 that is currently worth Rs. 27,500, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee has a Ford Ikon worth Rs. 1,06,250 and our Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh owns a Maruti Zen worth Rs. 3,50,000. The Urban Development Minister Kamal Nath has two cars, a Tata Nano and Ambassador, whereas Defence Minister A.K. Antony owns a Maruti Wagon R.
However, the Home Minister P. Chidambaram seems to have a good collection of cars with products from Ford, Skoda and Volkswagen. Telecom Minister, Kapil Sibal too owns three cars, namely Toyota Corolla, Hyundai Sonata and a Suzuki SUV. Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna has two cars, Mitsubishi Lancer and Hyundai Sonata worth Rs. 8,30,000 and Rs. 13,08,000, respectively, while Law Minister Salman Khursheed owns a Mahindra Jeep and a Toyota Innova.
However, when it comes to Ambassador, not all politicians have abandoned it. BJP leader, L. K. Advani is known for still possessing a bulletproof Ambassador. The white Ambassador is still respected everywhere. In this regard, Karan Singh, a BJP leader, last year said that, "I still have a white Ambassador, and I love it. It is pure India and total VIP."
Thus, it can be said that Ambassador still remains the face of Indian politicians and represents their power and authority, though the demand for SUVs seems to be increasing.
