The Railway Strike of 1974, called by George Fernandez , lasting 20 days and involving over 1.5 crore railway workers, alone appears bigger than the current Telangana strike. The railway strike and the aftermath led to the imposition of Internal Emergency in 1975 and the subsequent churning in Indian politics changing it forever. This 7 day-old people’s strike is quite as total as a strike can be.
Whether this strike will have the desired impact or not may be a debatable point. But the strategic planning that has gone into it is nothing short of a marvel. The stages by which it is being intensified and implemented merits close analytic attention ; and the minds of the people at the helm of affairs are definitely shrewd. Barring sporadic incidence of violence, by and large the strike has been peaceful. And it has crippled the functioning of the administrative as well as the civil machinery quite emphatically. Where will this lead to? Let it be admitted:Even the most visible faces of the Telangana Movement may not be able to steer the course with the deftness displayed till now. Is chaos set to prevail?
The Centre and the State are ‘watching’ or making ad hoc moves which can do no observable good. It is important for leaders to display statesmanship in this situation. People of this now-untenable State must not be treated as sacrificial pawns in the political chess games of the Congressmen at Hyderabad and Delhi. An active engagement by way of all inclusive and wide-ranging dialogue is an immediate need. The waiting and the deferment are no longer acceptable. Whether there are any compromise formulas or whether all options but the creation of a new state are closed, is less of an issue than the immediate expression of intent to address the problem.
Yet, the Centre and the State are almost unwilling to acknowledge that a problem exists. Then, will they act with urgency to provide solutions?
I expect not.
They behave like monarchs, not democratic governments.I don’t think they are familiar with the famous words: “When Fate summons, monarchs must obey.”
Is anyone listening?
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