Monday, July 12, 2010

A DAY'S 'BHARAT BANDH' OR A BLOW TO THE COMMON MAN

5th july, 2010 saw a massive bandh being 'organised'  by the NDA & Left parties, all over भारत . The aim was to protest against the hike in fuel prices. According to sources, over 50,000 'workers' flocked the capital's already disfigured roads, to burn effigies of those they held responsible for the hike.

Now, I have a confusion here- 'What does the word 'workers' refer to here?'. Does it point towards the DTC employees, blueline bus owners, the petrol pump owners and employees, or the middle-class of India? Well...this is the catch here. The bandh was organised for the common man who, ironically, was nowhere in the movie....rather drama. In fact, it refers collectively to the political activists, and people (a.k.a troublemakers & street vandals) whose sole interest lies in creating havoc on roads, blocking traffic and shouting slogans just for the sake of taking part in something 'BIG'. They are not even  wee-bit concerned with the real issue; they simply know how to put buses on fire, to pelt stones at almost anything they can get their hands on and by chance, if they get time out of their task, to give live interviews to news reporters, beaming with pride at their transgression.

Now coming back to Dilli ke Dilwale :
On the occasion of the bandh, a large variety of dilwalas was seen in Delhi-
Type1: the ones who chose to sit back home and enjoy the holiday;
Type2: the ones who mustered courage and set-off for work, facing the chaos and amazed at their own bravery, after reaching their workplace safely (suggestion to the govt.- there must be a separate award function for such people);
Type3: the ones who got stranded in the long queues of vehicles stuck in jams;
Type4: obviously, the ones who were the 'hands and mouths' behind the bandh.

A question that automatically arises -' Why was type4 so conspicuous?'
The answer is-'Although types 1, 2, 3 are directly connected to the agenda of inflation, they were the least interested in the subject of concern. Their choice of not intervening in the bandh proved fatal for their beloved city, whose demeanor was destroyed by an aimless mob. Had they bridged the gap between an indifferent government and an adrift opposition, the whole issue would have got a new meaning, a new dimension, an entirely different perspective. And this would have served the purpose of the bandh.'

To sum up, I would say, the common man has become skeptical about everything that involves politics, and has lost the ability to distinguish between what is being done in his favor and what is not. And this has not happened overnight. It has taken years and governments to compel the common man to think on these lines.

The  Rs. 13,000 crore lost in the bandh could have been put to use in a better way to serve  a population of approximately 1.2 billion.  

After-bandh quotes:
People in the city have not extended their support to the bandh as they know the 'credibility level' of BJP in Delhi. I think the bandh was a flop. It hardly evoked any response.
- Sheila Dikshit, Chief Minister, Delhi

This bandh was called by the people, executed by the people, for the welfare of the people. Nobody forced it. The harder government will try to suppress it, the louder it will become.- Vijender Gupta, president, Delhi BJP

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