Happenings in Kerala and West Bengal.

The Hartal.
Today was the first 'hartal' that the new government under Oommen Chandy has faced which was actually called to convey the displeasure of the people at the steep hike in the price of petrol and associated products. The 'hartal' was called by the opposition parties and they've claimed success in all respect which meant that the common man was put to undue hardship and agony!

Government formation.
The Chief minister is in Delhi to get the list of ministers of the Congress cleared from the 'high command'. Consider the ignominy that he's to go through as finally, he'd be thrust with a few names not much to his liking, but with the existing factionalism within the state's unit of the party, this is an exercise that he must go through to satisfy everyone. What they don't realise is that everyone else outside his party(and within his party too, I'm sure)understands the game so whom are they kidding by this exercise, I wonder?

Didi in Writers Building.
I, for one, am extremely glad to see Mamta Banerjee take over as the Chief minister of West Bengal throwing the communists from power after 34 long years. Here's wishing that she provides a clean and efficient administration for the state which deserves it after a long period of stagnation. I must hastily add that I'm fond of Buddhadeb Bhattacharya too, who's a good man but has been let down by his cadres who'd tasted power for a long time. But he too had made his mistakes - imagine the commies, in the early seventies clamouring for land for every man grabbing the same land from them, 30 years later, in pursuit of industrialisation! Nandigram and Singur will always haunt them!!

And the Bongs from now on, like their counterparts in Kerala, should elect political parties of different hues every alternate election. That's the only way that they can keep the politicians under control!

PS.
1. Finally, the law has caught up with her and Kanimozhi has landed in jail for her past misdeeds. Did it take a beating for the DMK in the elections to prompt the union government to take her to task? I shudder to think of the outcome if the results at the hustings had been otherwise! Here's wishing that the vengeful Jaya amma brings the whole act to its logical conclusion!!

2. The River Periyar provides fresh water to a sizeable part of Kerala. For the last couple of days, a lot of dead fish has been thrown up thanks to the toxic waste spewed into the river by the industrial complexes on its banks. How can we do such mindless things? What says the Pollution Control body? What can be done when the people themselves are not caring about their fellow citizens?