A few years ago, the communists in Kerala decided to call for a bandh on some trivial issue. Everything was decided, a press conference was held, posters were printed, wall paintings announced the day when Kerala would come to a halt. The cadres were mobilised, and everyone was ready to go. Then, the bandh was suddenly postponed. No reason was given, nor was one asked.
Later the truth came to the fore. The ‘original’ day of bandh coincided with the marriage of the daughter of a senior communist party leader. The man panicked when he realised that even crows are not allowed to fly during a bandh in Kerala. Why did I pick this ‘real’ story? It has to do with the umpteenth bandh called today by the communist party leaders, which was thankfully effective in their two pocket boroughs, West Bengal and Kerala.
What was the strike for? Well no one cares, least the communist party leaders. Banks stayed shut, schools were closed, taxis remained parked, post offices did not open, just about everybody stayed at home. A few enterprising young boys used the empty streets to play cricket. Who lost? The common man, like you and me.
After protesting for a few hours, shouting slogans, the communist leaders trooped back into the air conditioned comforts of the houses, had a sumptuous lunch and had a good sleep. What Prakash Karat and his comrades did not know was that hundreds of poor people in Kerala and West Bengal went without food on the bandh day.
The autorickshaw driver did not venture out due to fear and so his family stayed hungry. The hamali did not get to carry any goods so his wife and kids did not have anything to eat. And what do our comrades have to say. “The bandh was successful and we thank the people of the country for wholeheartedly supporting it,” My (left) foot.
Every strike or bandh results in only misery for the common people. The bank officer or the public sector unit worker may at the best lose a day’s earnings. But they will still live a good life. The porter at Howrah station, nor the contract sweeper at a bank in Chennai will be that lucky. They will have to tell their family that just because Mr Karat and his team called the strike, all problems in India will disappear from tomorrow. That’s the utopian world being marketed by our communist parties.
For the Indian communist leaders, the USA is the devil, but Karat & Co will still fly by planes built by Boeing. No, they will not undertake a 24-hour nerve rattling train journey, in the company of dirty bathrooms and beggars. That is only for people like you and me.
All the big talk of concern for the common man is only for the journalists and the television cameras. The moment the media fades away, one gets to see the true colours of these leaders. The double standards of the communist party leaders are so brazen, that even a kid can find out that they are liars.
A few years ago, the Kerala High Court banned bandhs and so the politicians changed the nomenclature and called it hartal. The communists went up to the Supreme Court, which tragically without any concern for the common man stayed the Kerala High Court order. That gave the licence to these leaders to do what they want.
Do communist party leaders know how many crores are lost in production in companies affected by the bandh? Do they care about the lakhs of people who are stranded in railway stations and bus terminals without anything to eat? Do they care for the patient whose ambulance is held up because of the bandh? Do they know the trouble the students have to undergo in studying for their exams which were postponed? Do they care for anything?
The answer is NO. These political leaders only care for their own self and are hypocrites. They care a damn for the common man.
It’s time we, the people of India rise up against this organised goondaism and stop them, once and for all. We should ask for compensation from the bandh organizers and demand that they stop this hooliganism forever. Otherwise you cannot take your mother to the hospital, nor get your son or daughter married. Because the communists will think of calling a bandh that day – to protest against the policies of the government towards the common man.
PS: Asianet, a Malayalam news channel today reported a story of a young kid suffering from blood cancer stuck up at Kozhikode railway station on her return from treatment from the Regional Cancer Centre at Tiruvananthapuram. The child and her mother did not have money for food and autorickshaw drivers were demanding 450 rupees to get them home.
Fortunately, Kerala DGP Raman Srivastava heard about it, and asked the Kozhikode Police Commissioner to arrange a police jeep to transport them. But there would have been lakhs of such people whose story the DGP would not have heard about.
Are you listening, Mr Karat? Do you ‘really’ care for the common man? Ask them, and what they will tell you will be unprintable.
Later the truth came to the fore. The ‘original’ day of bandh coincided with the marriage of the daughter of a senior communist party leader. The man panicked when he realised that even crows are not allowed to fly during a bandh in Kerala. Why did I pick this ‘real’ story? It has to do with the umpteenth bandh called today by the communist party leaders, which was thankfully effective in their two pocket boroughs, West Bengal and Kerala.
What was the strike for? Well no one cares, least the communist party leaders. Banks stayed shut, schools were closed, taxis remained parked, post offices did not open, just about everybody stayed at home. A few enterprising young boys used the empty streets to play cricket. Who lost? The common man, like you and me.
After protesting for a few hours, shouting slogans, the communist leaders trooped back into the air conditioned comforts of the houses, had a sumptuous lunch and had a good sleep. What Prakash Karat and his comrades did not know was that hundreds of poor people in Kerala and West Bengal went without food on the bandh day.
The autorickshaw driver did not venture out due to fear and so his family stayed hungry. The hamali did not get to carry any goods so his wife and kids did not have anything to eat. And what do our comrades have to say. “The bandh was successful and we thank the people of the country for wholeheartedly supporting it,” My (left) foot.
Every strike or bandh results in only misery for the common people. The bank officer or the public sector unit worker may at the best lose a day’s earnings. But they will still live a good life. The porter at Howrah station, nor the contract sweeper at a bank in Chennai will be that lucky. They will have to tell their family that just because Mr Karat and his team called the strike, all problems in India will disappear from tomorrow. That’s the utopian world being marketed by our communist parties.
For the Indian communist leaders, the USA is the devil, but Karat & Co will still fly by planes built by Boeing. No, they will not undertake a 24-hour nerve rattling train journey, in the company of dirty bathrooms and beggars. That is only for people like you and me.
All the big talk of concern for the common man is only for the journalists and the television cameras. The moment the media fades away, one gets to see the true colours of these leaders. The double standards of the communist party leaders are so brazen, that even a kid can find out that they are liars.
A few years ago, the Kerala High Court banned bandhs and so the politicians changed the nomenclature and called it hartal. The communists went up to the Supreme Court, which tragically without any concern for the common man stayed the Kerala High Court order. That gave the licence to these leaders to do what they want.
Do communist party leaders know how many crores are lost in production in companies affected by the bandh? Do they care about the lakhs of people who are stranded in railway stations and bus terminals without anything to eat? Do they care for the patient whose ambulance is held up because of the bandh? Do they know the trouble the students have to undergo in studying for their exams which were postponed? Do they care for anything?
The answer is NO. These political leaders only care for their own self and are hypocrites. They care a damn for the common man.
It’s time we, the people of India rise up against this organised goondaism and stop them, once and for all. We should ask for compensation from the bandh organizers and demand that they stop this hooliganism forever. Otherwise you cannot take your mother to the hospital, nor get your son or daughter married. Because the communists will think of calling a bandh that day – to protest against the policies of the government towards the common man.
PS: Asianet, a Malayalam news channel today reported a story of a young kid suffering from blood cancer stuck up at Kozhikode railway station on her return from treatment from the Regional Cancer Centre at Tiruvananthapuram. The child and her mother did not have money for food and autorickshaw drivers were demanding 450 rupees to get them home.
Fortunately, Kerala DGP Raman Srivastava heard about it, and asked the Kozhikode Police Commissioner to arrange a police jeep to transport them. But there would have been lakhs of such people whose story the DGP would not have heard about.
Are you listening, Mr Karat? Do you ‘really’ care for the common man? Ask them, and what they will tell you will be unprintable.
3 comments:
I wonder ever any bandh or hartal yielded results!...In fact a bandh should be one that everyone respect and voluntarily come forward to make it successful...but "forced bandhs" are the ones, which only display the one-day courage of that section of people, who on remaining days have no dare to question authorities properly.....anyway...nice article Vikram...Hope Karat gets it..
One should force the Communist leaders to stay in a railway station that has no drinking water and nothing to eat during a bandh. Only then will they understand the plight of the ordinary traveller. Shame on you reds.
Prashant
nice story. Karat may not be in a position to appreciate this ground reality. Atleast the state leaders in hyderabad should open their eyes
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