News Analysis
The nationwide bundh call given by the BJP protesting against the fuel price hike is
a clear cut violation of the Supreme Court directive and it is now left to be seen if the
Union Government would remain quiet or take some action.
In a landmark judgment ten years ago, the Supreme Court had declared that any
observation of bundh for any reason was “Unlawful and Unconstitutional.” It had even
upheld a Kerala High Court ruling in this regard. It is an irresponsible act on the part of
the BJP to give a bundh call when it had ruled at the Centre for one whole term and is in
power in several states including Karnataka. This bundh call is also unlawful and there is
already a demand to arrest the leaders of the party which has given a call for a bundh, as a
precautionary measure.
The court ruling had come at a time when bundh calls were generally given by the
Leftists as they used this bundh as a tool to organize people. It is nothing but an irony that
a party which earlier considered observing bundh as an anti-national act, has itself now
given a call for a bundh.
The Supreme Court which had upheld the Mumbai High Court ruling slapping a penalty
of Rs 20 lakh on the BJP and Shiva Sena for calling a Maharashtra bundh six years
ago, had even expressed its strong objection the bundh operation of political parties that
staked the interests of the society.
It is nothing but a tragedy that the BJP being a prominent political party was behaving in
such an irresponsible fashion by giving a call for a bundh which is a classic case of fence
itself grazing the crop.
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