Bandhs and strikes are not the solution. A nation undergoing rapid growth cannot afford such luxury. One cannot pull back on the reins when a horse is running at full pace.

DURING THE last three and a half decades of the Left Rule, Bengal has seen numberless bandhs and strikes. The bandhs were more like celebrations in yesteryears. Bandhs are justified by politicians on democratic grounds. Normal life has to be paralysed to make the government aware about the demands. But, how far are the people happy with bandhs? Those who are in service, especially government jobs, enjoy a bandh to the fullest, while on the other hand, poor people, in whose name the bandhs are organised, consider them a curse.

Patients cannot be taken to hospitals, examiners face indescribable trouble, trains are detained midway, poor labourers starve as they do not get any wages, but for politicians it is a great achievement. The new government in West Bengal headed by Mamata Banerjee is now planning to stop strikes. This has been announced in the wake of the 12 hour general strike at tea plantations in North Bengal. Terai and Dooars area witnessed total bandh, but other districts received a lukewarm response.

What is interesting is that all the 32 trade unions affiliated to the Left Front, Congress and other political organisations except the Trinamul Congress sponsored the bandh call. The Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha-backed tea workers union and the breakaway groups of the ABAVP also extended support to the strikers. Even the Trinamul Congress Trade Union supported the strike.

In this context, the Chief Minister of Bengal warned that strikes in the state may be banned. It is a million dollar question whether such a move will at all be successful. Bandh is a powerful weapon in the hands of the common people. But too much of its use has blunted it. Now people are disgusted with this kind of disruption of activities. Now days, bandhs are called even on irrelevant issues. The politicians of opposition parties flaunt their muscles against the existing government by calling for strike.

Problem will occur when the INTUC and CITU will be asked to consider the proposal for banning strikes.

One of the ex-ministers has already been grilled on the skeleton scandal. Mr. Mukul Roy has given alert to Buddhadev Bhattacharjee who was at that time in charge of the police department. The CPI(M) is raising the question of political vendetta and may call a bandh on any date. Price hike is a very popular issue for calling strikes and bandhs and is always justified. Now, another issue is coming to the forefront – the issue of corruption at national and state level.

Whatever may be the issue, bandhs and strikes cannot be the solution. Sikkim government has already tabled a bill seeking a ban on processions and hunger strikes, and a penalty (five- year jail and a fine) for the offenders. Such rigorous measures can be taken against all those who take part in bandhs and strikes. It is a funny thing that sometimes the ruling party calls bandh against their own government. This happened several time during the Left regime. They had been in the UPA and still called bandhs for price hike and Nuclear Deal several times.

This is unethical and a kind of hoax played on the people. Petrol price rise in India is an imperative issue, but cannot be used as an excuse to call strike.

At one time calling strikes was a kind of a game for the politicians. The Left parties used to call strikes for demanding increase in wages, but then their own government came out generously to consider the demands and win people’s support. But such gimmicks did not do much good and the Left Front government lost its base gradually by incurring public ire. Red lost its revolutionary connotation and gradually became the symbol of ‘negative politics’.

Demands should be placed in other ways. Strikes and bandhs should not be encouraged by any political party. Bandhs and strikes are not the solution. A nation that is undergoing rapid growth cannot afford such luxury, especially when the bells of recession are ringing everywhere. What the Chief Minister of Bengal said yesterday about the need for stopping bandhs and strikes, the rest of India should think it over and make a decision.