M A I L B A G

Political parties can’t organise bandhs

I read the three articles on bandhs by V. Eshwar Anand (Oct 11), Justice Rajindar Sachar (Oct 12) and B.G. Verghese (Oct 13). The Supreme Court injunction apart, even basic norms of civic sense require that nobody should be allowed to hold any kind of jamboree that causes inconvenience to the public.

Of course, an act of self-aggrandisement or show of strength may be condoned but only so long and so far it refrains from causing hardship to the people. But any such buffoonery on the part of the government is simply unconceivable. CPM leader Prakash Karat’s reading of Article of 19 (1) (a) of the Constitution is myopic. It is a pity that a person of Karat’s stature should talk in a bizarre way.

GEETANJALI KORPAL,Advocate, Amritsar

II

Admittedly, the freedom guaranteed under Article 19 (1) (a) of the Constitution is being misused by the political parties. Forcing the people to observe bandh, disrupting the rail and road traffic, burning and looting properties, preventing the seriously ill from reaching the hospitals don’t fall under the purview of Article 19 (1) (a).

Political parities can hold peaceful demonstration in support of their demands, but they can’t force a bandh on the unwilling public. This amounts to infringement of fundamental rights of an individual which need to be protected. Unless suitable punishment is awarded to those organising such bandhs, this anarchic situation will continue to prevail.

NARINDER SINGH,Kapurthala

III

A government organising a bandh is highly deplorable. Who else will provide services to the public?  How could a government, which is supposed to serve the people, cause inconvenience for them? The Supreme Court rightly banned the bandh.

Secondly, it has become a fashion these days for the parties to obstruct traffic, burn buses and destroy property. A law should be laid down to check such incidents. Those destroying public property should be charged with treason. The value of property destroyed by them should be recovered from them together with appropriate punishment for creating public disorder. The rights of a law abiding citizen can only be protected this way.

PURAN SINGH, Chandigarh

IV

I agree with Justice Rajindar Sachar’s view that there should be no ban on holding bandhs for peaceful purposes. If the services of the employees are terminated for wrongful reasons and the employees’ unions want to hold bandhs, they should be allowed. Of course, there should be no physical violence or intimidation.

Justice Sachar has rightly observed in his article that there is clearly a psychological fear which will prevent a citizen from enjoying his fundamental freedoms or exercising his fundamental rights.

SUBHASH C. TANEJA,Rohtak

V

Mr Eshwar Anand’s article exposes the Karunanidhi government in Tamil Nadu which violated the Supreme Court ruling against the bandh. The bandh in the name of hunger strike was patently illegal and unconstitutional.

This reminds me of Emerson’s famous quote, “Society is a masked ball where everyone hides his real character and reveals it by hiding”. Mr Karunanidhi has proved Emerson right by manipulating the hunger strike in the disguise of the bandh. By bringing the entire state to a grinding halt on Oct 1, the Chief Minister is guilty of the contempt of court.

MULTAN SINGH PARIHAR,Jalari (Hamirpur)

VI

It was only recently that the BJP and the Congress activists held rallies simultaneously at the same public place in Shimla. Their hooliganism led to road block, causing inconvenience to the general public. A seriously ill child died as the ambulance in which he was being taken to a hospital was held up in the traffic jam.

Hope the politicians will take note of the views expressed in the three articles and desist from holding the people to ransom.

K.L. NOATAY, Shimla