Himachal CPI(M) court arrest over price rise, bus fare hike

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CPI(M) cadres agitate price rise, bus fare hike at Victory Tunnel – Shimla (Photos by Lalit Kumar)

Shimla: Protesting against price rise and steep hike in bus fares, hundreds of CPI (M) workers court arrested in a state wide agitation today, disrupting traffic and throwing normal life out of gear at many places.

Leading the agitation in the state capital, CPI (M) general secretary Rakesh Singha was among those arrested in Shimla.

Police had a difficult time in regulating traffic and maintaining law and order. District police chief RM Sharma said that 254 people had been taken into preventive detention and another 6 were arrested for damaging public and private property, which included deflating tire’s of vehicles, indulging in wall writing and other offenses.

Reports of protesters participating in the agitation were received from districts of Mandi, Kinnaur and Sirmaur and well as other parts of Shimla district which included Rampur, Rohru, Theog and Chopal townships.

A road blockade that was resorted to early in the day at the main bus terminus, disrupted traffic, causing much trouble for children to commute to school and for office goes to reach their work place. Milk, bread and newspapers distribution was also affected, which reached late.

Terming the agitation a success that had receive wide support from the people, Singha later claimed that more than 6,000 had offered arrest in different places of the state.

He said, “the BJP government by shifting the blame over rising prices onto the central government only showed that it lacked political will to confront the issue and bringing down prices by strengthening the public distribution network.”

He said that agitation would be intensified unless the state government did not immediately withdraw the 25 percent bus fare hike.

“Common man’s movement has been restricted after stiff increase in bus fares and they are indeed angry about it,” he said. Should the government not withdraw the hike, we will intensify the stir, added Singha.

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5 Comments

  1. says: Rajneesh Sharma

    Such protests are just political gimmicks , had these protests and rallies really meant something meaningful..poverty have been long evacuated since INDIA got independent.

    The problems are more deep rooted than we see on surface, same politicians, workers, agitators ..be from communist parties, BJP or Congress stage walk outs while in opposition and shout slogans ..which public is accustomed to…no one bothers..we have become insensitive.. If thats a remedy to remove price rise..then why dont we pass a legislation to organise repeated rallies everyday..how easy, to bring down price rise.

    Same communist party in West Bengal alloted chunk of land , disrupting / disturbing agriculturists..village folks…forced poor people to evacuate land to be sold to TATA MOTORS..do they really mean to stand by poor?

    http://www.merinews.com/article/tata-motors-should-have-been-given-more-land-sen/138824.shtml

    Same communist party shared power with congress (Whom they label, party of INDUSTRIALISTS) in last Lok Sabha & central government…what did they do for poor while sitting in power for 5 years? Not even a single national policy that could have helped eradicate some poverty..just kept philosophizing intellectually with thick old LENIN & Marxists ideas..enjoying AC cooled rooms.. manufactured by MNC companies in Sansad Bhawan..what a mockery.

    I know number of old friends of mine from SHIMLA..who were very enthusiastic in college life..joined SFI..became Presidents by fighting elections..and when college days were over..joined congress..BJP..became contractors..earning lakhs of Rupees..how much they contributed to communist party or poverty elevation plans of leftists..thats what politics is all about.

    every political party , leader has great ideas to set the system right..the system that is terribly diseased by same people, with incurable virus..of corruption..hunger.. lust for money..power.

    These politicians..can never give any solution.. in fact they create and manipulate problems to the point of no solution..thats a basic rule ..make humans suffer..let them suffer so much ..so that they themselves always remain in demand by offering a Paradise..a never attainable “Utopian Paradise”

    A second freedom movement is needed in this country to eradicate these corrupt termites of all political parties..corrupt government officials..who are minting money like anything ..A revolution..like we had once for BRITISHERS who were sucking blood & our resources.. we have become helpless creatures..can not do anything..keep closing our eyes, shutting our ears..and placing a hand on our mouths.. following GANDHIAN principles of silently supporting all the crap happening all over around us.

    Is gandi politics aur uncontrollable corruption ne sabko HIJDA bna ke rakh diya hai..A Bhagat Singh..Subhash Chandra Bose.. need to reborn..reincarnate..to give us a wake up calls ..before we all become alive corpses for ever !

    Reply
  2. says: K.Y. Singh

    Some status quoist people are against agitational politics or any kind of political change, they expect that BJP and Congress would produce a Bhagat Singh and Subhash Bose ?
    How many CPI-M leaders are industrialists and private contractors …the cynics and confused people are never able to differentiate the difference of degree between the good and bad…
    There is an open invitation to such people to join politics and finish the termites of present political parties…and become the next Bhagat Singh.

    Reply
  3. says: Rivesh

    I think this is the common sentiment that is shared by most Indians. Even the so called elite class of politicians/bureaucrats/rich people also suffer from such insecurity in the system and keep on grabbing money and enjoy the power whenever accessible.
    Price rise is no issue whenever our household income reaches certain level. Then we become critic of such protests. We have double standards for protesting against system depending upon our suitability.
    The country is against Maoists after a recent massacre. The people of a country that “let Ganesha drink milk in a day”, are hysterical take sides immediately. We want Sachin out when he fails to score India a win and make him the God of cricket when he makes quick centuries.
    We need to think rationally and systematically to tackle each problem. I have some suggestions.
    1) Identify the problem areas in system along with good points. Avoid direct and indirect self/system praise. The strengths do not need much of our acclaim except during war but weaknesses are needed to be identified for solutions.
    2) Self introspection is needed several times daily to avoid things which contribute to weakening of the system. It is more important because despite being idealistic we ourselves commit many mistakes because of being born and brought up in the system.
    3) Try your best to build a public opinion. Discuss the issues, problems, solutions in public. Do not push your argument but derive a logical conclusion. Truth always wins. U can write/discuss issues on news blogs/social blogs/newspapers/magazines. This is a very effective medium. Your words may become arsenal for many readers in their public discussions which multiplies geometrically.
    4) Start with reform movement at state level first. If it succeeds, the country will definitely face the heat.

    All our problems are directly related to bad governance which is otherwise controlled by the people in world’s biggest democracy. Developing countries cannot see honest politicians/bureaucrats unless rule of law exists or there is a provision of minimum social security for all in the system. “In the name of democratic decentralization we are creating more hands top eat into public coffers” I firmly rally behind this quote despite all the justifications by band wagon of babus and netaas.
    We perhaps do not want to accept this reality of new India and jump to the conclusion to military wipe out the naxalism which is affecting about one third of the Indian region.

    Adjust to the system till you get opportunity or work for revolution.
    The poem written by Dushyant Kumar will be touching to even those who have slightest rebel within.
    आग जलनी चाहिए

    हो गई है पीर पर्वत-सी पिघलनी चाहिए
    इस हिमालय से कोई गंगा निकलनी चाहिए

    आज यह दीवार, परदों की तरह हिलने लगी,
    शर्त लेकिन थी कि ये बुनियाद हिलनी चाहिए

    हर सड़क पर, हर गली में, हर नगर, हर गाँव में
    हाथ लहराते हुए हर लाश चलनी चाहिए

    सिर्फ हंगामा खड़ा करना मेरा मकसद नहीं,
    सारी कोशिश है कि ये सूरत बदलनी चाहिए

    मेरे सीने में नहीं तो तेरे सीने में सही
    हो कहीं भी आग, लेकिन आग जलनी चाहिए।

    Reply
  4. says: Amit Pundir

    कुछ रोज़ पहले की ही बात है , एक मलयाली मित्र ने मुझे केरल में ऐसे ही आन्दोलन के बारे में बताया था जो बसों के किराये में बरोत्री के लिए ही आयोजित किया गया था , तब मैंने उसे बताया था की हिमाचल की लोग शांतिप्रिय है अगर आन्दोलन होगा भी तो बहुत शांति पूर्वक होगा , मुझे आज भी पूरा विश्वाश है हिमाचली लोगो के शांत स्वभाव के अनुसार ऐसा आन्दोलन नहीं होता की रास्ता रोक कर आम आदमी के काम में बाधा डाली जाये, सब नेताओं की आपसी रंजिश का नतीजा है, जिसे देखो एक दुसरे पर कीचड़ उछालने पर लगा है, एक पार्टी को दूसरी पार्टी से शिकायत है तो जाकर लोकसभा , राज्यसभा में जाकर लडाई करो . आखिर किस लिए इनको सडको पर ये सब आयोजन करने की इज़ाज़त दी जाती है .. हम सब लोग इन सबके आदि हो गए हैं. मैं जानना चाहता हूँ हम में से कितने लोग हर गलत बात के लिए विजिलेंस में शिकायत करते हैं, और जब कोई पार्टी ऐसे आन्दोलन करती है तो हजारों की संख्या में लोग आन्दोलन में भाग लेने को तैयार हो जाते है. एक छोटी सी शिकायत के लिए कोई विजिलेंस के दफ्तर जाने की लिए किसी के पास वक़्त नहीं होता, लेकिन ऐसे आन्दोलन में जेल जाने को तैयार हैं.

    मैं रीवेश जी के लिखे शब्दों से पूरी तरह सहमत हूँ . हम लोग मिलकर एक ऐसा सिस्टम क्यूँ नहीं बनके सकते जहाँ सब कुछ पारदर्शी हो . इन्टरनेट की इस युग में कुछ बदलाव नहीं हो सकते क्या .. जब निर्णय की बात आती है तब क्या जरुरी है की कुर्सी पर बैठे नेता ही निर्णय लें, मोबाइल फ़ोन या इन्टरनेट के जरिये हर कार्य में लोगो की राय नहीं ली जा सकती क्या. जरुरत है एक ऐसे सिस्टम की जहाँ लोगो की राय ही निर्णय का स्रोत ही सरकार उसका निर्णय मनन कर उसको कार्यान्वित करे.

    Reply
  5. says: ANUJ THAKUR

    This is all a political propaganda to show there presence in
    Himachal Pardesh
    nothing to help common man, but just a stage.
    same thing was happened when opposition party ruled in his last terms
    at same spot.
    They all creating a rage in common peoples by doing so

    Reply
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