Struck again

Sir — It seems that Mamata Banerjee is out of her mind. First she went on a fast, protesting against the transfer of agricultural land in Singur. Then she decided to call a two-day strike, only to cancel it after realizing that such a decision would find no public support. It is time the courts came to the rescue of the public from the whims and fancies of political leaders and unions. Perhaps, the courts need to pass new decrees to ensure that normal life is not interrupted by strike calls. Any obstruction to road or rail traffic should be dealt with severely and the police empowered to fire on the people creating trouble.The ruling party should also be asked to bear upon its affiliate unions to dissociate themselves from the culture of bandhs.

Yours faithfully,
Kalyan Ghosh, Calcutta

Sir — Over the past few days, Singur has emerged from being a dot on the map of West Bengal to a hotbed of politics. Although most of the political parties gathered in Singur are claiming justice for the farmers, their true motives remain suspect. All this clamour for peasant rights may be a shrewd move to gain political mileage. A bandh is not an answer to the problems faced by farmers or industrial workers. Neither is a fast likely to bring about any effective change in their lives. What the opposition must demand instead is transparency in the land deal.

Yours faithfully,
Tania Bhattacharya, Calcutta

Sir — Now that the Trinamool Congress-led agitation has caught the nation’s eye, Mamata Banerjee should end her fast and hold discussions with the chief minister. The Tatas will probably be reluctant to start work in Singur unless the agitation is called off. It is also a fact that a few other states are waiting in the wings to welcome the Tatas if they decide to move out of Bengal for their car project. If that happens, it will be very unfortunate for Bengal. The political parties responsible for this will lose all credibility.

Yours faithfully,
A.K. Ghosh, Calcutta

Sir — We are bored with Mamata Banerjee’s fast as well as bandhs. In Banerjee’s case, instead of polite requests, the government should forcibly get her admitted to the hospital.

Yours faithfully,
Sankardas Mukherjee, Bhopal

Sir — Mamata Banerjee has condescended to call off her two-day bandh. But there is little doubt that Trinamool bandhs are not a patch on those called by left unions. When Citu calls a bandh, professionals, including doctors, lawyers, administrators and even ministers, prefer to stay indoors rather than report for work (“Fear and force shut down state”, Dec 15). As a result, the common people have to put up with endless hardships. Patients cannot reach hospitals. Even if they manage to do so, operations are postponed. Sometimes, even the OPDs and medicine counters remain locked. The left, secular to the core, seems to care only for haj pilgrims. They were provided with transport to reach the airport on this occasion. The communists seem to care only for the minorities and not for the sick and dying who need urgent medical attention. Here is a piece of advice for those who want to travel on a bandh day. Grow a beard, don a skull-cap, drape your wife in a burqa and then step out of your home. You might succeed in reaching your destination.

Yours faithfully,
S.B. Gupta, Calcutta

Sir — Unlike the Trinamool Congress, whose Singur movement may fizzle out once the Tatas start work, the left unions will continue to cause trouble. The nation-wide industrial strike called by the Citu was an attempt to show the Central government that the left unions retained sufficient punch to bring the country to a stand-still. The strike, however, failed to generate a favourable response except in West Bengal and Kerala. In these two states, educational institutions, shops, commercial establishments and even tea stalls remained closed. Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s precious cyber zone was partially affected. It is a pity that except for the chief minister, other left ministers in the government continue to support a militant form of trade unionism. This does not bode well for the future of the state.

Yours faithfully,
S. Mukherjee, Burdwan

Shocking news

Sir — There have been reports about some Dalit devotees entering a temple in Orissa. Now 3,000 people from higher castes are sitting in penance to “purify” this place of worship. This is one of the most shocking pieces of news in a modern era. By our own ancient scriptures, caste is not determined by birth but by the actual profession of the person. Nothing prevents a Dalit or anyone else to go to the house of the lord. All Birla temples in India are open to Hindus, Christians, Muslims or any other community, including Dalits and the so-called “lowest castes”. No human being has the right to impose such restrictions in a temple. There are a number of prominent Hindu organizations which should have played a positive role in correcting such narrow-minded views. Unfortunately, these are nowhere to be seen when the going gets rough. Some of the followers have even repeatedly indulged in various acts of vandalism that have hurt the sentiments of the majority of Hindus. I myself am associated with some very important Birla temples and I feel very strongly about this matter. I would like to ask these venerable organizations as to what they are doing to remove these undesirable distinctions between one human being and another.

Yours faithfully,
S.K. Birla, Calcutta