NATIONAL 2 (Spotlight Weekly)]

The Grammar Of Anarchy

Increasingly the political parties are resorting to call bandh to press the government triggering off a disturbing trend

By AKSHAY SHARMA

The Valley Bandh called on August 2, 2000 by six sister organizations of Communist Party of Nepal (Marxist - Leninist) went off peacefully except for a few minor incidents. The six organizations ANNFSU (All Nepal National Free Students Union) , All Nepal Farmers Association, Democratic National Youth Organization, All Nepal Womenís Association, ICONT and RAJSAS have claimed that their call for the Bandh (total shutdown) was successful despite attempts made by the government to foil it.

These organizations called for bandh to protest the recently passed Citizenship Act (Amendment). They also demanded the dismantling of the Laxmanpur barrage constructed by India which threatens inundation in Nepalese villages.

The release issued by the parties said ANNFSU's former President Rup Narayan Shrestha, CPN -ML's Bhaktapur Committeeís Secretary Narayan Bakta Bati , CPN -ML's member of national council K B Dhoju and hundreds of others were arrested by the police.

The agitators smashed a government vehicle of a secretary passing across Ratna Park where ML cadres were preparing a rally.

In Katmandu the supporters of the Bandh smashed three taxis, one tempo, one motorbike and one government car. Patan remained closed and peaceful. Few shops in the inner areas of the city were open and a few vehicles were seen moving. In Bhaktapur ML workers obstructed the operation of Kathmandu-Bhaktapur trolley bus service. Police arrested 21 people pelting stones on the trolley bus.

ML's General Secretary Bamdev Gautam expressed his heart felt thanks to the supporters of the Bandh. The Spokesman of the Home Ministry claimed that the bandh was largely ineffective and the valley saw only minor incidents of the Bandh.

August 4, 2000 the Nepali Congress Rautahat President Mohammad Aftab Alam organized a "Chakka Jam" along the Mahendra Highway. The ex-minister Aftab organized the bandh program in Rautahat on Friday protesting against the resent rough and tumble tactics the UML representatives had applied to him in the parliament. The theme behind the bandh required that the government take actions against the opposition members of the parliament who had indulged in the act.

The Nepal Bandh was very inconvenient to a bus load of passengers who had been traveling from Kathmandu for two days to reach Chandranigahapur. The two day trip was largely because of the landslides that had gone along the highway. What added to the traveler's dismay was Chandranigahapur along the Mahendra Highway remained closed.

This may be the first incidence where the party which is in power has been initiating agitation towards its own government. The acting President of Nepali Congress Rautahat Gambhir Prasad Koirala said," If there is no satisfying answer to the bandh demands until Saturday, the movement will once again begin. " One night -bus was smashed by the agitators during the Bandh.

Even the political parties having enough representation in the House of Representatives resort to a movement ,agitation , revolution , bandh or anarchy. These attempts may be devised by a political party to topple the government. But the growing trend of calling Bandh every now and then has become counterproductive. Apart from general public who are greatly affected by these shutdowns, the economy, too, has been suffering a lot.

The Kerala High Court in India gave a ruling against Bandhs few years ago. Dr Ambedkar's 11 November 1949 speech to the Constitutional Assembly was added to parts of the new law. Dr Ambedkar who is famous for his gifts to the Indian Constitution said, " If we wish to maintain democracy not merely in form but also in fact ,what must we do ? The first in my judgement we must do is to hold fast to constitutional methods of achieving our social and economic objectives. It means that we must abandon the bloody methods of revolution. It means we must abandon the method of civil disobedience, non - cooperation and satyagraha Where there was no way left for constitutional methods for achieving social and economic objectives, there was a great deal of justification for unconstitutional methods. These methods are nothing but the Grammar of Anarchy and sooner they are abandoned the better it is for us."

Although bandh programs may be an answer to the environmental problems it is an unconstitutional way to protest. The fact that there were 17 bandh programs last year also speaks volumes about the disturbing trend. Sooner our political parties realize this, the better for the country.