Today is Communist day here at varnam. In some news which warmed the cockles of my heart (located between the left and right ventricle), the Communists in Kerala have been asked to pay for all the hartals they have called for.
Kerala High Court had banned bandhs. So the geniuses there (100% literacy at work) now call for hartals which has the same end result. (This is similar to terrorist groups in Pakistan changing names when they are banned by the US State Dept). It was then that the Bombay High Court came up with this pay as you go Bandh idea. Now the Marx-putras have been asked to shell out Rs. 3 lakh in compensation for 13 bandhs.
Compensation notices were slapped on three stalwarts of the Kerala CPM and 100 others for destruction of public property during shutdowns called by the party or its affiliates.
The Kerala government order was issued on Friday, the day Opposition Trinamul Congress supporters organised a bandh in Bengal.
CPM state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan, former Speaker M. Vijaya Kumar and Left Front convener Paloly Mohammed Kutty and the others have been asked to pay Rs 3 lakh for destruction of public property during the 13 strikes called after the Congress-led government came to power in 2001.
The collective compensation demand of Rs 3 lakh is but a drop in an ocean of Rs 10.52 crore Kerala has lost over the last three years in bandhs. But this is the first time anywhere in the country that a government has moved on its own to claim damages and pin responsibility on individuals.
The order also imposes vicarious responsibility on the sponsors of hartals, after forced shutdowns were declared illegal by the Supreme Court. This closes the escape hatch for political leaders who deploy ranks in the streets and disclaim any personal role in the resultant violence. [CPM gets a bill for bandhs]
