In the grand theatre of Indian governance, there exist many republics. In one, you have the lived reality of a citizen—navigating crater-sized potholes, wading through flooded cities, sweating through endless job applications and paying the price for a power sector that loses crores of rupees to theft. In the other, the government presents a meticulously-curated republic, where everything is under control, projects are largely completed. Deficits are not deficits here—they are a “continuous process”. The disconnect between these two worlds visible in Parliament Q&As isn’t just a matter of perception; it is a political chasm. Consider the state of roads. Every week, the feeds on your screens deliver the footage—a flyover sagging, a carriageway swallowing a car. Conscientious MPs prodded by constituents asked the government how many roads caved in. The answer: 49. Not in 2026 or 2025. This is the data from 2014 to 2026. There is visible mystery and then there is seasonal mayhem. Every monsoon, India’s cities morph into Venice without the romance. Asked about urban flooding, the Union government said it was the responsibility of states and urban local bodies. Constitutionally unimpeachable. Except that the largest urban development programme in the country is run from Delhi. Under the Smart Cities Mission, 7,790 of 8,064 projects were completed at a cost of Rs 1,56,257 crore. Expenditure only means that money moved, not resolution of issues. The evasion is portable. This week, MPs asked about water contamination—contaminants, assessments, BIS standards and redressal. The answer: 2.52 crore laboratory samples were collected and 2.87 crore field tests conducted since 2023-24. Three of the four queries evaded and no assessment offered. The tanker mafia is evidence that the scarcity is real. The booming water filter industry is proof that contamination is. Primary education—the spine of hopes about the future—is broken. Government