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Rabble Rousing Random Ramblings by S Jagadish is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.
PMK's Ramadoss wants an "indefinite" bandh in Tamil Nadu
In a brazen attempt at terrorizing Tamil Nadu, the PMK's founder & president, S Ramadoss has proposed an "indefinite" bandh in Tamil Nadu in protest against the Sri Lankan army's attacks on the LTTE.
Thankfully, he is charitable enough to exclude ambulances and the supply of milk from the scope of the bandh. Of course he isn't going to be impacted. He and his goons will court arrest and be released in an hour, probably escorted home by the DGP.
The ones who suffer are the general populace, without the ability to go to work, run their business, buy vegetables & fruits at affordable rates, etc.
Given that the Supreme Court had ruled, a decade ago in 1998, that bandhs were illegal and unconstitutional, Ramadoss' demand for an "indefinite" bandh is an indicator of how important adherence to laws and the Constitution is for him and others of his ilk. Although I don't foresee it happening, the Tamil Nadu government should throw Ramadoss & the rest of the gangs into jail for threatening to breach the law and order of the state.
Labels: ltte, politics, strike, tamil nadu, terrorism
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Strikes are a form of economic terrorism
This week almost all parts of India have been significantly hit by striking truckers and oil PSU officers. As a result, the supply of petrol, diesel and other fuels used for transportation & cooking has dwindled, most places in India are facing a severe shortage crisis, the price of commodities has gone up due to scarcity of supply.
There are long queues at the few petrol dispensing stations that do have limited supply. People are finding it hard to go about their normal business, including going to work, sending their children to school, buying commodities, etc. People are unable to travel by road or air. Manufacturing companies are finding it tough to transport their products around. My company has a cab pickup-drop service, but all drops from the afternoon have been cancelled. This means anyone who came in to work by cab (me! me! me!) has to figure out how to get home after work!
Despite the fact that petrol & other related fuels (kerosene, LPG, CNG, diesel, etc.) are included in the list of commodities under the Essential Commodities Management Act, the government hasn't acted tough with the striking folks.
It is likely that those striking have legitimate demands. But I find it abhorring that the general public is expected to put up with the outcome of their actions, in much the same manner as my cable operator asking me to put up with the inconvenience when all non-Kannada channels were off the air during a one-day strike over Belgaum, in 2006.
Given the huge impact on the country, I'd say this is a form of economic terrorism as well.
Labels: petrol, strike, terrorism
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Last September, the Loony Left/Crazy Commies created chaos when trade unions affiliated to them struck work, affecting ordinary citizens severely. The Loony Left got away with it. They continue to run with the hares and hunt with the hounds.
Yesterday, the same trade unions struck work, in protest against the Indian government's economic and labour policies.
Today, December 15th, is the last date for those paying advance tax as part of their income tax returns. It is thus a safe assumption that yesterday and today would have seen a lot of such people queueing up to make their payments. Yet, the strike date was nicely chosen to ensure the maximum disruption to 'honest' tax-payers.
I was in Madras yesterday on a personal visit and I decided to make my advance tax payment since I wouldn't have been able to do it today. Canara Bank was closed. They refused to accept any payments since they were on strike. ICICI Bank (Nungambakkam High Road) was open. They were accepting payments till 6 pm. Ah! Light! But they didn't stock forms. I went to a State Bank of India branch nearby. They didn't stock forms. The Bank of Baroda branch opposite ICICI Bank also didn't stock forms. When I inquired, I was told that I could get the forms from 'Aaykar Bhavan' on Nungambakkam High Road.
I went to the Income Tax office (Aaykar Bhavan!) and I found no-one at the counter where the forms were proudly displayed. I saw a door behind the counter and officials chatting away merrily inside. I barged in, and asked for someone to tell me which form I should fill out for making my advance tax payment. I was brusquely told that the Income Tax department was also supporting the strike and hence no-one would come out and work. One of them told me that I wasn't supposed to come inside the room. I told them that given the last day of paying taxes was the 15th, it was ridiculous to strike work on the 14th and that I would stay in the room until someone came out to clarify my doubts. After a lot of grumbling, one person came out and told me which form to fill up.
I then filled up the form and deposited my tax payment at ICICI.
A government which is so spineless that it can't do anything when parties supporting it organize mass chaos and strikes, doesn't deserve to be in power, regardless of the ability/respectability/qualifications of the Prime Minister. A system which penalizes tax-payers by forcing them to turn up on the last day, and also possibly incur penalties since the cheques wouldn't be cleared until a day after the deadline, because trade unions strike work, is blatantly unfair and unjust. Why can't banks (private & public) keep copies of the various forms necessary? A system where tax payers need to run to multiple places to make their payments is as unfriendly as you can get.
I know judicial activism has been frowned upon recently, but I would be very pleased if those responsible for the strike yesterday were penalized, heavily, to set an example.
Labels: communist, crazy commies, left, loony left, strike
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Today is a state-wide bandh in Karnataka in support of the state's claim over Belgaum. Coming as it does barely a week after a legislature session was held in Belgaum and a decision taken to make it a second capital, it reeks of nothing but political one-upmanship.
As a result of the bandh, there're no activity. No shopping, no schools, very little public transport, no autos, no offices ... and more critically, no cable TV! I called up my cable TV operator and he declared proudly that I had no right to ask for telecast since I was in Karnataka and I should respect Kannada sentiments.
I've gradually lost respect for these so-called Kannada sentiments over the last four years that I've been here. Now I'm on the verge of doing an Arundhati Roy, and declaring secession from Karnataka. Since I'm anyway losing respect, I might as well point out that Karnataka would be among the very few states in India which has territorial or water disputes with each and every neighbour state. Belgaum with Maharashtra, Kaveri with Kerala & Tamil Nadu, Mahadeyi/Mandovi with Goa and Krishna with Andhra Pradesh. Maybe, just maybe, Kannadigas ought to read this line from Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar" (1599 - Act I - Scene 2 - Rows: 140-141)
The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings.A state government that cannot take a tough stand against a needless bandh is unfit to be in power. A judicial system which continues to be mocked by parties of all hues in spite of its earlier pronouncements on strikes, bandhs and hartals, needs to wake up and seriously re-evaluate itself.
Previous rabble rousing random ramblings about Kannada/Karnataka: Moratorium on non-Kannada movies, language paranoia in Bangalore, Bangalore's name change, reaction to Rajkumar's death and protests against Imsai Arasan 23am Pulikesi.
Labels: chauvinism, kannada, karnataka, strike
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Impose a fine on the Left parties for the strike
On Thursday, September 29th, a strike was called by trade unions allied to the 'Crazy Commies'. It paralyzed life across the country, with banking and air traffic hurt the most. The strike was against the government's economic policies, amendments to labour laws and privatization. In addition, autorickshaws in Karnataka were off the road, protesting against the govermnent's unwillingness to increase the subsidy towards the conversion of autorickshaws to using LPG cylinders rather than petrol/diesel.
I didn't feel the pinch as I had taken care of banks related work the previous day and I didn't have any intentions of travelling by autorickshaws on a day when those that did ply on the roads would have charged exhorbitant rates.
But I am not the 'common man' the Loony Left claims to represent. That common man was actually put to hardship. Those of his creed who worked in banks and in the aviation industry did not work. I am not sure if that day counts as a day of unpaid leave as far as their management is concerned. In fact, I am not even sure if they wanted to join the strike. Bullies from the trade unions would undoubtedly have forced a lot of people to fall in line and participate in the strike and either not go to work or join them in creating chaos on the road or bullying others into not going to work. Yes, does seem eerily similar to ragging!
Common people who didn't work in banks or in the aviation industry were still put to hardship because they couldn't get transactions done at banks. Assuming that 'common men (and women)' do not use airlines to travel, banks coming to a standstill hurt them the most. So as it turns out, a strike organized to bring to light common people's woes ended up causing more woes to those common peoplefolk, apparently the Loony Left's votebank.
Pissed off at the very fact that there was such a strike, I dashed off a letter to the editor (LTTE!) of 'The Hindu'. This is what I wrote:
The strike today, called by trade unions, undoubtedly incited and encouraged by the Left parties, has resulted in crores of rupees worth of losses to the Indian economy in terms of banking transactions, people being unable to get to work or appointments on time, either because flights were cancelled or because other transport unions also joined in.
It really is high time the government called the Left parties' bluff and threw them out of the alliance. They cannot hunt with the hares and run with the hounds. If they oppose the government's policies to such an extent, how are they justified in supporting it?
This is blackmail of the highest order. I hope the Left parties are made to pay up the damages, in much the same manner as the BJP and Shiv Sena were forced to pay up for the damage caused during the bandh called by them to protest against the blasts in Ghatkopar in Mumbai.
The newspaper did publish the letter, which you can find in the fifth entry in yesterday's edition. There was some snipping out, as the contents indicate:
The strike has resulted in losses that run into crores in terms of banking transactions, people being unable to get to work on time either because flights were cancelled or because other transport unions joined in the strike. It is time the UPA Government snapped ties with the Left because it cannot continue to run with the hare and hunt with the hounds. I hope the Left parties are made to pay up as the BJP and the Shiv Sena were for the losses caused during the Mumbai bandh in 2003.
Previous rants on the Loony Left: EPF issue, "LTTE" on pressure put by the Left on the finance minister over the budget, another "LTTE" on the Loony Left criticizing the govermnent over economic issues while staying mum over Shibu Soren's hiding antics, the government's response over it considering the Left's concerns over various issues and the pronouncements by the Cretinous Commies just after it became apparent that the Congress would come to power.
Labels: communist, crazy commies, left, letters to the editor, loony left, strike
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