Police hamhandedness can't be condoned

The situation is indeed deplorable. The ruling alliance appears to be hell-bent on obstructing all opposition activities and not allowing them any space anywhere. It seems absolute domination of the political scene is their only goal.

Hartal is a disruptive phenomenon which can bring no good -- that's a known fact. But people are likely to suffer even more if the element of violence is added to it. Police brutality does little to keep the situation under control as tension goes high when they pounce on the pickets.

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The opposition has failed to justify its strategy of relying on hartal as a political weapon. What have the AL and its allies gained by calling hartal for no fewer than six days in about three weeks? Their popularity rating is unlikely to go up since hartal means hardship to people and colossal damage to the economy. It is an anachronism which has long outlived its utility. It is highly counter productive and is becoming more and more unpopular.

No nation can afford to remain paralysed day after day in this competitive world. Politics of hartal and confrontation must come to an end. And the government of course has a role to play here. It is the interaction between the government and the opposition which helps the democratic culture flourish in any society. The government must overcome the psychological barrier that prevents it from giving the opposition its due and the latter has to realise that hartal is a self-destructive device which cannot be used any more in a modern setting.