Rallying around an alternative means : Need to imbibe the poin
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: October 03 2016 -
To the organisers, Progressive Manipur, it is but a rally taken out to find alternative ways to protest other than bandhs or blockades, but to many it will be seen as a rally against the culture of bandhs and blockades.
So ingenious have some become that other terms have also been coined in place of bandhs and this may come as public curfew, total shutdown, general strike etc.
Ironically most of the bandhs or any other term that may be used are almost always clamped in the name of public interest.
Just how much it is in public interest may best be explained by the fact that any bandh or any of the other terms that may be used do nothing but greatly inconvenience the public.
Wonder if inconveniencing the public is in public interest or not.
It is also a lot more than merely inconveniencing the public for in many cases it directly impacts on the daily income of everyone, especially those who are daily wage earners.
How about those needing immediate medical care ?
It is to stand against this growing menace that a group of young people have come together under the name of Progressive Manipur and a silent rally was staged to hammer home the point that the time is right to find alternative means to protest any injustice done to the people.
It may just be a rally but the message should not be lost on anyone.
Just the fact that a rally has been staged against the growing culture of bandhs and blockades is a loud statement against this culture.
In as much as it is a loud statement against the bandh culture, it is also a testament that for too long the people have been suffering under one bandh or the other.
The same is the case when the highways are blocked during any of the economic blockades called by different organisations.
Bandhs and blockades do nothing except hold the common people to ransom.
It is not the high and mighty and not those who sit in the corridors of power who suffer but the people and in as much as this is crystal clear to everyone, no one seems to have given it any thought.
There are times too when a bandh is imposed for reasons which are extremely localised and the natural question is why should the people be made to suffer for reasons which may concern just a few individual or a locality.
Let the rally be the start of a movement to jolt the senses of everyone and make all realise that bandhs and blockades do nothing except hurt the interest of the people.
The surveys worked out in the past should remind the people of how much they stand to lose everytime a bandh or a blockade is imposed.
Find other means to air the grievances, is the call of the rally and let everyone take due note of it.
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