General strike or economic blockade : Is there any difference?
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: September 10 2011 -

Stranded truck drivers and handymen getting ready to prepare a meal

Chingthou Keicha from the desk

Manipur being a landlocked state and the National Highways being the only lifelines for the people of the state apart from the costly airlines, people residing along the National Highways finds the National highways one of the easiest ways to put pressure on the state government for the fulfillment of their demands.

From time to time, associations based along the National Highways have been imposing general strike and economic blockades whenever they demanded something from the state government.

Since they have realized the effectiveness of blockades, it has become one of the most frequently used ways of agitation which looks like a democratic form of agitation but in reality, far from it.

With all these years of general strike and economic blockade, it has become a habit for the organisations based along the National highways to imposed blockades on the NHs as and when they like.

On the other hand, the government has also become somewhat ineffective in tackling such frequent blockades along the highways.

Although people of the state have become frustrated with the frequent blockades and the way the government tackles them, the state government might have its own policy or inability to handle them like they did in the valley region.

There might have been fear of fall out of ethnic tension or possible political problems if such matters are tackled forcibly. Meanwhile, organisations who impose such blockades seem to be taking full advantages of the inability of the state government.

The ongoing blockade of SHDDC, which started from August 1 has scaled down into economic blockade. The decision came soon after UNC scaled down its counter blockade into economic blockade.

What is a matter of debate here is whether the decision of UNC and SHDDC to scale down their total blockades into economic blockades will give any breather to the suffering of people of the state.

There were reports of blockade supporters hitting truck drivers by stone after stopping their vehicles.

A driver had even succumbed to his injuries when suspected blockade supporters bludgeoned him with stones after stopping him. Moreover there were recent claims of well armed miscreants torching vehicles in the name of supporting the ongoing blockade.

In such situation who would ply their vehicles along the highways. Moreover it is the economic blockade which has been choking the lives of hundreds of thousands of innocent and poor people. Prices of essential commodities have risen sky high.

Even though people of the state are facing many hardships due to the ongoing blockade, they are restraining themselves out of their understanding of the SHDDC their demands and to avoid ethnic tension Even if people are keeping a restraining themselves, it will not be a right decision for the Organisationsto play with the emotions and lives of the common people.

One day will come when people of the state will be fed up with such frequent blockades, which might lead to ill feelings between the agitating bodies and the rest of the people of the state.

Even though their demands are legitimate and age old, rest of the people in the state are on the verge of a breakdown which might led to a vicious social turmoil.

In such situation, it would be wise for the agitating bodies to opt for other means of agitation rather than choking the lives of the poor and common people and wasting huge amount of government money by imposing such blockades on the National Highways.