Fixing Sites For Poltical Rallies!

Rallies,road blockades, bandhs are necessary evils in democracy.They're evils because they cause much inconveniences to general public and necessary because they are used to protest against injustice done to people in general or to a section of people.These weapons have been used or some times over used and misused since long normally by political parties.These forms of protest have become ,so to say, their birth rights. Hence any attempt to forfeit this right is an excercise in vain.Nor is it prudent to ban these programs in popular interest itself.Now what we need to do is make an endeavour to minimise the inconveniences caused to general people for rallies in particular.However, bandhs should be abjured as far as possible and might be used as the last resort only.

Left Front govt under the leadership of Buddha Bhattacherjee took initiative to address this problem.He earmarked a few places to make rallies to avoid traffic snarl-up in the city.A all party meet was called to this effect but the political parties could not reach a consensus.Incidentally,TMC boycotted the meet.Since then much water has flown down the Ganges.Mamata Banerjee made fast for days together at Metro channel to protest against the forcible acquisition of land from the farmers at Singur.She also staged dharna at Singur throwing traffic movement at Durgapur Express way totally out of the gear for as many as 14 days at a stretch..Political atmosphere was then intensely turbulent.Rallies and bandhs were almost regular features.They were mostly called by the opposition.Ruling parties too did not much lag behind.However,to cap it all TMC earned the dubious distinction of going on the rampage at the assembly house and there broke the costly furniture, those have archaic values too,ruthlessly to pieces.

Days have changed.TMC is now in power and the Left rule has ended after long 34 years.History repeats itself.Mamata Banejee is going to do what Buddhadev Bhattacherjee once tried to in LF regime but failed as referred to above.She's proposed to fix a few sites for political rallies so that people get at least a partial respite from traffic jam that puts them in immense hardship.She likes to prohibit rally at metro channel as it's at the center of the city.That apart she's also suggested to hold rallies preferably on Saturdays and Sundays.The proposals are no doubt good but unfortunately all party meet recently held yielded no result.A silver lining is the opposition now don't skip the meeting convened by the ruling parties.Political parties will meet again on this issue and let us hope for the best