Saturday, July 3, 2010

Stop the political vandalism called ‘Hartal’ and ‘Bandh’

If you ask me how I feel today about the political parties ruling my nation and my state: My head hangs down in shame.

If you ask me if I feel proud living in a democratic nation with all-freedom and prosperity growing around me, I would pity your imagination and walk away.

If I am asked what is that ONE thing I want to change in my nation, it will be the human insensitiveness of all political parties in my nation.

They make me feel like a lifeless puppet whose arms and legs are tied to their whims and fancies. My dream to own a car or home or travel abroad or grow my own farm or buy a gold ear ring, or go and sit on the beach side, even viewing any television program will depend on the human sensitiveness or social care or education-level or culture of the political party ruling my state.

Today what I get in plentiful is loose change when I buy a small bag of vegetables for a week. I produce INR 300 and get back INR 5 for a small kitty of vegetables ... most of it will be less than 250 gms. What I get is 2 ltr of petrol for INR 108 and thanks to the very badly managed roads and well-dug potholes the 2 ltr petrol will not take me even 20 KMS around the city! What I get is stinking neighborhood with no or poorly managed garbage management by the corporation. What I get is 30% less salary for all the 198 hours of I put at office.

I really do not wish to go down the spiral thinking about the pitiful state my government is treating me. Let me feel safe and secure in my state. Let me not fear a handful of goons who in the name of political parties call for a hartal or bandh taking price-hike as an excuse. Let me not get late to work or late to reach home to my lil one with a political party holding a protest in middle of the road.

I am willing to pay tax, I will think positive that tomorrow my government will patch up all the potholes and I can drive to and back from work in less time. I am willing to believe my neighborhood will look like the clean, neat streets of Britain from next week. I am ready to see positive image of less price for gas and essentials from next quarter.

But can anybody from the political parties calling for bandh or hartal convince me that all the above will happen with two consecutive bandhs being called within a matter of 5 working days? Can they please show the worth of me participating in their hartal by staying indoors by bringing down 50 paise for fuel or cooking gas? Does my participation in hartals or bandhs not show any result? If the hartal or bandh is against price hike, from the very next day it should cost at least 50 paise less!

If not my participation is a total waste and I will lose one day's salary at work too! Total loss!

And going by the history of hartals and bandhs till date, I do not see it being any effective as a civil disobedience tool. Gone are the days when a government took any bandhs or hartals as public ire or anger. Gone are the days when sincere political leadership had an actual plan to call for a bandh or hartal. Gone are the days when civil disobedience was the most powerful tool to bring the government or political system on their knees or change their ways. Gone are the days when public was considered human and their protests taken seriously.

Today it is all for media, publicity and keeping the next general, state, municipal or even panchayath election in mind. Today it is done to give public an extended weekend, today hartals and bandhs are kept around the semi finals or finals of World sporting events, today hartals and bandhs are kept to help a few flex their muscles locally or nationally. Today hartals and bandhs are pure political vandalism.

I wish me and my nation to wake up tomorrow to a hartal-free future!