Sunday, July 04, 2010

US open, French Open.... Bharat Bandh

जो काम बरसात  का जोर न कर पाया, जो काम देश विदेश के आतंकवादी न कर पाए. वह काम हमारे राजनैतिक नेता कल आजमाएंगे .... मुंबई.. और  भारत बंद 

(what couldn't be achieved by torrents of rain, and the blows of terrorists from within and outside the country, the political leaders are attempting to do.... Mumbai and India Shut Down in protest)
The opposition parties of our great country have called for a ritual that is celebrated "peacefully" in this world's largest democracy of ours.The ritual is called a Bandh... Which literally means .. Shut Down..


For residents of financial capital of India, it is business as usual. First it was the Motormen of the city's life line - Local Trains, that went on strike for the "larger benefit of commuters".. Then, it was the turn of the Taximen and Auto rickshaws to go on strike. The weather god's tried their bit with not much effect though with the usual flooding of the city, at a trickle as much as a dog's piddle.... And now..
Its the turn of the lawmakers (should i say lawbreakers) themselves. 

Elected representatives of the opposition parties of our democracy have invoked the great constitutional right... freedom of peaceful protest.. that would hold a city or even the whole country to ransom, with hungry daily wagers and sporadic violence, to name a few, as a price to pay for this peaceful protest.

The protest is in response to the rising prices of commodities and the recent unpopular decision of the govt. to deregulate the price of fuel. Whether the protest will help the countrymen or is it just yet another ritual (read political stunt) is any common man's guess.

1. Does a strike really help?:
When you keep the nation shut for even minutes, forget an entire day, she has to foot losses - monetary and psychological.. for the moment let us consider the monetary part.. People earning on a daily basis can even go hungry.. And at the end there are no free lunches.. The loss incurred has to be paid for, ultimately gets paid through the tax payer's pocket. The party funds of the protesting political groups are not gonna fund even a dime. 


2. Would prices fall really, if the fuel prices were rolled back?
The answer is a small yes and a big No... The small yes is the short term effect you will see on the price tag.. Now for a big NO.. Before the fuel prices were deregulated. Every liter of fuel sold was subsidized to as high as 25%. This cost was paid by Tax Payers as subsidee.. most of whom do not own a vehicle! The mounting losses because of the subsidee would once again mean rising prices.


It is a shame that hardworking citizens of the country have yet another obstacle for them to and from their workplaces, tomorrow.. Monday.. Just as this "peaceful protest" unfolds.







1 comment:

Clélia said...

There was a time in Brazil strikes were a genuine protest and respected as an effective way of having workers bad conditions seen by society.
As I see now,strikes have become violent episodes of 'legitimate reivindication'...Initiating violence is always an illegitimate course of action. Furthermore, violence is not only being physically hurt, but not being able to freely live your routine as well.