Not equating our standards to the US ones is like Bhanot saying Indian hygiene standards are not the same as the worlds. I will reiterate the fact that once you claim and harp on about being a global player don't shy away from meeting global standards. And not just meeting, but leading in the implementation of those standards. The FAA has never been blind to the issues affecting DGCA. They may have chosen to overlook them but these guys have the resources, expertise and experience to accurately gauge the veracity of the claims made by DGCA.
The multilateral nature of aviation means that absolute standards have to be met for consistency of safety across regions. You can't evade these standards by claiming lack of manpower. The behemoth that is the Indian Government surely has enough babus to fill these vacancies. Whether they are competent is a whole other matter.
Apache, you just don't get it. Your nationalist jingoistic pride is blinding you to the fact that something is seriously wrong with the way things are running here.
Blame who you want to or whatever circumstances there are surrounding this downgrade, but the fact is, once again, that it has happened and we have to get out of it by making tangible progress and not by manipulating unrelated issues to get out of this one.