Leader Writer: Wangkheimayum Bhupendra Singh
Manipur is one such place where many consider general strikes, bandhs and economic blockades to be democratic forms of agitation. Such agitations have been a part of our society for quite a long time. The co-relation is such that even the Chief Minister had acknowledged general strikes will become a legacy of the state someday. And in all likelihood it will continue to be so, unless the people of the state including the strike sponsors, general public and the authorities realised the impact of such exercise on both the economic as well as the social aspects of our society without actually considering whether it delivers their goal or not. Almost every part of our society has at some point of time used a general strike or a bandh or a blockade as a means for their demands. Agitation organizers always append the announcement of every such bandhs, blockades with a disclaimer of any untoward incidents happening during the agitations. The first section of the society that faces the brunt of such agitations is the general public and among them, it is the daily wage earners who will be facing the direct hit. The impact on the general public of bandhs would always be greater than on the government as all government agencies work for the welfare of the people in the first place. What is ironical at this stage is that the agitators use this argument to impose their so call democratic forms of agitations. The failure of the government to fulfil its duties compelled them to agitate in the first place, is another of the agitators arguments. Nonetheless, arresting someone else’s development just because we think we have been neglected by the government drubs the very argument because such agitations also interfere in and slow down the functioning of government machineries.
It was reported today that 15 Village Defence Force personnel were sent to jail on the first day of the indefinite general strike called by the state VDF demanding pay hike, their argument being they are underpaid in today’s world where prices of everything has skyrocketed. The Chief Minister was however quick to respond and declared the agitation as unreasonable. While acknowledging their demand to be reasonable, he had also added that it could have been sorted out with talks. The present agitation comes as a classics example of the agitators justifying their general strikes by declaring it as a democratic form of agitation and the government criticising it as unreasonable while the general public continues to suffer the indifferent attitude of both. This could also mean that the people have lost so much faith from the government that they think that talks with the government is a futile exercise. If so, then the government has to gain a lot more popularity so as to earn back the respect of the public. Both sides should understand the futility of their arguments until both take constructive actions towards their respective goals and by action it do not even remotely mean that the people should come out and call strikes and bandhs and that the government should send out its police for a face-off. Before starting any agitations, people should try talks and if in case agitations have to be staged there are also different forms of agitations which could be utilized to place one’s demands before the authorities. General strikes and bandhs create disturbances for the general public and affect the whole state and it should not be counted as a democratic form of agitation.