Just What Is A Harthal?

Lady Banana left me a comment asking me what a harthal day was. Instead of a reply comment, I thought I’d post it here.

A Harthal is a strike usually called by political party/parties against anything that they feel is unjust, like rise in price in diesel, petrol, fuel, food & basic commodities, arrests or attacks against an influential political party etc. This is mostly against what the general public wants and the people are usually against harthals. On a day when a harthal is called buses, taxis, autos & trains usually don’t run their normal routes. Due to harthals, there are great financial loses. The states in India which are usually affected are the ones that have huge Communist allegiences like Bengal & Kerala.

Movie theatres and other public places of entertainment are closed down, stores, restaurants & shops remain closed, schools & colleges are closes. Most offices are closes as well.  Political parties conduct marches on the street and they stop/block your way so that you are delayed in reaching your destination. They might break the windows of stores that open on this day – unlikely as most store keepers know better and they won’t open on a harthal day.

Earlier we were forced to suffer 24 hour harthals but now it’s usually 12 hours and that too from 6am till 6pm. So companies like where I work, have their staff come in before 6 am and drop them home after 6pm in order to avoid issues & injuries. This inconveniences a lot of us and we are forced to go through this suffering because of the fucking politicians.

Yesterday they stopped many trains and the passengers were forced to wait for many hours, stuck in the railway station. What these bastard communists party assholes did, was that they forced people to be stranded without food and in many cases without water, while special food was catered only for the political party members! This is your politics Kerala & India – and it fucking sucks!