Governments are supposed to rule. But what if they decide to strike?
The Tamil Nadu Government seemed to have decided that it had done enough administrative work and needed a break. And called for a strike.
Tamil Nadu came to a standstill on March 31 and the Government called it a 'great success'.
What made the strike worse was it was called on March 31 - the last day of the financial year. Business establishments were caught off-guard. Usually, despatches from manufacturing units are more on the last day of the fiscal. Business houses could not do anything about it as the strike call did not give them any time to plan or advance the despatches. For some companies, the dilemma was that the old stocks would get reflected in the books meant for April 1 - the new financial year!
Apart from this, there are more points to ponder:
1. The protest was against an interim order by the highest court of the land - the Supreme Court. The bandh shows the respect our netas have for the Supreme Court - and they are called 'law-makers'.
2. Why bandh? Is there not other way to show protests? Why disrupt day-to-day activities?
3. Why should a Government call for a bandh? This shows there is something seriously wrong with the system.
4. This was only an interim order by the Supreme Court - not the final judgment. Isn't paralysing the entire State for an interim order too much?
5. People had just a day's time to prepare for the 'effects' of the bandh. The worst affected were those coming to Tamil Nadu from other States (and countries). They were stranded in trains and buses for a whole day! And the State 'Government' was least bothered.
6. And the bandh was called by the ruling party in the State and also sharing the spoils at the Centre! The DMK has a lot to answer.
