SAY ‘NO’ TO HARTALS AND BANDHS

Though not directly fit to my blog’s purpose, I am prompted to write this post. Mr. Pannyan Ravindran, the Central Committee member of the CPI wrote in the Malayala Manaorama of April 28^th 2015 about the ‘disturbing’ experience he and the co-passengers of the train he planned to travel had – being held up due to the strike by the loco pilots. He writes that the strikes should not become ‘emotional’ (if there is no ‘emotional’ reason for any strike or hartal, will there be one?) Has he thought about thousands of passengers who alight on the days of hartal and strikes called by the trade unions and parties, about the people who plan various personal functions such as marriages, baptisms etc., the loss of businesses, thousands of laborers who lose a day’s wage? No one may have forgotten the incident of his travelling on a hartal day and his men manhandling a person who questions the integrity of him using a car on that day.

I alighted at Bangalore on a day of ‘hartal’ (18^th April, 2015) called for the dispute on sharing water of Cauvery river with Tamil Nadu which is one of greatest ‘emotional’ and vital issues as far the people of Karnataka are concerned.  I have seen all kinds of vehicles including taxis and auto rickshaws plying everywhere.  Those who called for the hartal while observing it did not disturb the freedom of others who wanted to travel. We have gone through another national hartal yesterday and from the visuals in the various channels, we see that Kerala came to a stand-still whereas; public transport system in other cities went as smooth as any other day!

If we look at the results of the recent hartals and strikes in Kerala that has made the whole society to a stand-still, we will see that it has not changed an iota of the things that they called the hartals for. I think the name of Kerala should be changed to ‘Hartalistan’ because coconut has given way to hartals.  

I feel it is high time that the people who are suffering the ill effects of hartals should declare a hartal against all the leaders of political parties and unions. No leader of political parties and trade unions, including ministers, regional and local ‘leaders’ should be permitted to go out of their houses for 24 hours and let them ‘taste’ what hartal is. I know it is only a wishful thinking, but if it goes this way, we may see it the near future.

On this May Day, I wish that the world be pervaded by justice and peace; every laborer have dignity of life and all the ‘haves’ have concern for the ‘have-nots’!