Kolkata bandh on for 2nd day, citizens furious

THE BANE OF BANDHS: The man on the street has started raising his voice against the very idea of strikes.

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Kolkata: For Rupinder Singh, it's been one long, unwanted weekend. The shutdown called to protest the fuel price hike has left Rupinder and his family with nothing to do but sit at home, and like many other Kolkatans the irritation is evident in their faces.

"Nobody is interested in bandhs anymore. Calling a bandh every few days has lost its meaning. I mean, I wouldn't want to waste a day at home when I can be at work. It's really sad for an economy when it has to put up with bandhs so regularly," says he.

The man on the street has started raising his voice against the very idea of strikes itself. People say they are fed up and that their work is held up. They also say that their branch offices in other cities treat them as a joke.

Meanwhile, political parties continue to cash in on the price rise.

Trinamool Congress leader, Mamata Banerjee says, "This was such a huge price hike. What will the common man eat? That is what we want to know from the CPM and the UPA Government."

As for the ruling party, CPM, it's fast becoming a case of double speak.

CPM Politburo member, Biman Bose said, "All party offices must remain open in order to allow the proper implementation of all political agendas, especially on bandh days so that the bandhs can go ahead smoothly."

Perhaps it's too early to pass judgement on a city that has grown to internalise the very idea of bandh's over the last 30 years. However, there is a clear and significant shift in attitude among the people who are increasingly finding it irritating to deal with a bandh culture that infects their very life.

People like Rupinder Singh are hoping that economic sense would someday prevail against the politics of petrol.

(With inputs from Anjita Roychaudhury in Kolkata)