Exclusive | Two bandhs a month, please!

On Friday morning when one woke up the front page headlines in most newspapers had only one story to tell which ran something like this…

 

….The response to the nationwide Bharat bandh called by the opposition National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and its allies; and the Left parties against petrol hike and the failure of the UPA-II government was largely mixed. The impact was greater in opposition ruled states and weak in Congress ruled states. The economic losses as a result of loss of output were put at around Rs 250 crores to Rs 300 crores by various industry bodies. Incidents of stone pelting, arson and road blockades were reported in various states and their capitals so on and so forth….

 

Now the Supreme Court did earnestly tried to ban bandhs in 1998, but political parties still organize them. In 2004, the Supreme Court of India fined two political parties even, for organizing a bandh in Mumbai but nevertheless they still happen. Whichever party is in power, the opposition will find a way out to organise a bandh be it against government’s inability to check price rise or the petrol hike or to check corruption in high places. The question is does these bandhs really help?

 

The nation is crippled and economic output gets affected. No on spares a though for the daily wage earner who perhaps have to go without daily earnings and even proper meal. It really does not matter because a bandh cannot wake a government from its slumber.  Nor it makes a difference to the opposition who are content with the mileage they are getting. As Divesh Shukla of a leading MNC advertising firm said,” everyone came in today. Honestly think it was a farce and if really the opposition had to do something it should have been raised in Parliament and not call for bandh's that further upset the public life.” Most media houses had a day off or attendance was slim as people chose to take a day off or work from home.

 

As far as the common man is concerned, people like you and me -  it does not matter whether we are there for slogan raising or plain dozing at home. The common man is indifferent because one or two bandhs is not going to change his position or prices are not going to crash next immediate day. So why worry. Just enjoy a day off. As for the common man, the latest bandh was a much welcome relief.  Said a Ramchandra Yadav, a transport company owner, “for the first time people were with the bandh - anguish on the petrol hike and was a good break in peak summer.”

 

How nice that there is an off in the middle of the week. Nowhere to go, most of the things are shut. No children demanding or wife telling you to go out for a movie at the multiplex or shopping at the mall. Neither there are sudden relatives dropping at your place disturbing a good afternoon sleep.

 

There is a suggestion here. The national government should take a cue from the West Bengal, the state with the maximum bandhs in India where the average number of bandhs per year is 40-50 a good two in a month. The national government can do well to follow suit and declare bandhs atleast two every month by giving not more than 48 hours notice for a bandh. That will atleast ensure that people like you and me get some well intended rest. So why worry about the nation, national income and growth. It will anyways happen through the hand of GOD and the economy will continue at tortoise pace.