Drive: I agreed with you on the point that kickbacks must have been given at the time of awarding the airport contract, however once that is done and in private hands, doubt the politician has an locus stand to ask for a kick back on say the Equipment being installed.
In regards to kick the management, every attempt is met with chest thumping and "public outcry". It is not easy to lay off 2,000 people for a private airline like Jet airways (the chairmen claimed that his dead mother came to him in his dreams and asked him to take back the people he had laid off!!!) so how can you imagine a govt organization laying of 25,000 people. I think the new aviation minister has done the correct thing by letting the 400 strikers bake in the heat and wear them down.
Yes Indigo is interesting and I did not know they are 49% US owned as to the best of my knowledge FDI in Aviation is not permitted. Will need to check that to confirm so a citation would be helpful. However as far as cutting sweet heart deals, no one stopped the other airlines from doing that and that is business nothing to do with the government.
Now I do not entirely disagree with you that the government is not doing enough to bolster the aviation sector, however i think some of the moves the aviation sector made initially are also partly responsible for the mess they are in. Where was the need for a Rs 1 fare, Why was your ego so big you had to buy Sahara, why did you have to buy a Deccan? If these guys had let these airlines die a natural death their balance sheet would have been much healthier today.
ALlow a natural selection and elimination to happen, government should make a serious attempt to revive and make AI an efficient airline and take some hard decisions. After Flying AI after a gap of 10 years last month I can definitely say the government has spent good money on air craft and offering, unfortunately the staff are entirely responsible for the mess and I would fire each and every one of those who was on the aircraft on that flight.
Corruption is in every country especially at the higher level. In India the problem is the "common man" himself is extremely corrupt and un ethical.