The Hartal Habit

It is a pity that we are allowing unscrupulous people, masquerading in the guise of politicians and party workers, to run our lives, to rule them and to ruin them in whatever way they please.

All these hartals and related inconveniences that we Malayalees are facing are the result of just that — our magnanimous and tolerant attitude!

Sad to read about the forest office in Wayanad, which was attacked by miscreants and set on fire yesterday in protest against the Kasturirangan report. I don’t know if I need to call them ‘party workers’.

What an ideal way of registering protests!

All this and much more, in spite of the fact that the Chief Minister has assured people that he is initiating discussions with the Centre in this regard and that he would not let anyone be evicted from their homelands.

I guess the only people who need to worry are the huge land and mining mafia who are making illegal profits from our protected and eco-sensitive areas. And I particularly don’t feel the need to stand up for their selfish causes, especially by bringing Kerala to a grinding halt or by tolerating violence of any sort.

Hartals have been so misused in Kerala that I am sure most of us do not even consider them a means of peaceful protest anymore.

Instead, they are more in the line of violating the democratic rights of citizens by holding their freedom at gunpoint.

Is there any instance in recent years where a hartal has achieved its purpose, other than fostering a few egos?

I don’t know if the Chief Minister will be able to convince the Opposition to back out from tomorrow’s hartal. In case the hartal is on, I don’t know just how many unlucky people are going to be stranded on the roads, how many KSRTC buses are going to be destroyed, how many more government offices are going to be razed, and how much life and property will be destroyed.

Don’t get me wrong.

I am just a peace-loving, ordinary citizen of this land who still believes in the power of behaving in a civilized manner.