Public response to the AMSU's 12 hour strike
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: August 06 2011 -

12-hour General Strike in protest against bomb blast at Sangakpham, Manipur on 03 August 2011

The AMSU's 12 hour strike called on August 2 had evoked a spontaneous response from the public.

In a land where strikes, bandhs and blockades rules supreme, the biting edge of such forms of dissent had lost their edge and had become only minor irritants to the people, so the general response to the AMSU's call for a strike takes a new meaning.

Mildly put, it means the people responded positively to the AMSU. But why did the bandh weary people in the valley heed to the call of the AMSU? Obviously the AMSU struck a right chord in the hearts of the people.

Introspecting into this happening one realizes that a call for a strike or a bandh, if based on correct issues, can still have a deep and forceful effect.

To the AMSU then we extend hearty congratulations. Please understand, you rose up in favour of an issue which was strongly felt by the people. You rose up against mindless violence carried out by people with irrational thought, and whose undesired actions led to the deaths of innocent people who had no idea of their warped minds.

The point is, if you stand for a principled stand which reflect the wishes of the common people, the rest of society is there by your side, ready to support you.

And without meaning to castigate the AMSU in any way, the fact is, in the past the AMSU had undertaken to call for strikes and bandhs which did not receive widespread support from the common populace.

Many of them turned out to be a farce. For the common man many such previous strikes and bandhs were considered acts of lumpen behaviour. Further it smacked of influences from all the wrong sources.

What is to be the shared common knowledge now? One feels the answer is reasonably clear and simple.

First, and this is of paramount importance, the common populace knows the difference between what is truly good, as separate from 'good' as defined by vested interests.

The common populace consequently supports forms of agitations which are of relevance to them, and that it does not need enforcement by 'volunteers' to ensure the success of such agitations.

Next, forms of agitations and stirs as demanded and enforced by people who might not enjoy majority support, generally requires rigorous enforcement to lay claim to 'success'.

To the AMSU what more needs to be addressed to?

The general population is thankful to you for having taken a swift and decisive stand against mindless violence which led to the loss of lives of innocent people. Please bear in mind, as long as your actions are based on this strategy, you will be assured of further successes.

Also do remember you are a students' body and be not swayed by forces from extraneous elements. Such actions dilute and belittle your image, and you lose public support.

You might not agree with this line of argument, but rest assured it is the fact. So then, you, and all of us, let us not make the body of AMSU be a platform of professional agitators.

Stick to a correct stand, and we are with you.