The woman who vociferously protested the blocking of traffic by a BJP protest rally led by a State Minister in Worli, Mumbai, has hit a sympathetic nerve in all parts of the country. It is an everyday experience for everybody. She is also not the only person who has made known her opposition to this culture of political entitlement – people do make their dissatisfaction known, not all get captured on video. One can only recall the blocking of highways during the farmers’ protest not so long ago that forced people to adjust their daily routines for over a year – be it taking children to school, or commuting to work. This was an extreme example but such disruptions take place somewhere or the other, every day.
And those living in state capitals, such as Dehradun, also face the aggravation caused by VIPs’ carcades pushing their way through traffic with blaring sirens and hooters, as though they have a special right on the roads. Sadly, such ‘disruptors’ have the support of the police, instead of being taken to task for forcing their way through.
Life in the present day world has become very complex in the urban environment and cannot accept such disruptive practices. The angry woman in Worli, if the words in the viral video have been accurately heard, was going to pick up her child from school. Imagine how much tension a delay can cause in such a case. Think of people being taken to hospital or other emergencies. Think of the impact of the heat on people stuck in traffic during summer.
It is, therefore, absolutely necessary to arrive at a social compact that honours the rights of commuters on the roads irrespective of how important is the protestors’ cause. It is no longer necessary to disrupt normal life to attract the attention of authorities or the general public to a cause – the vast network of news and social media brings such issues to people’s homes quite quickly and effectively. As the protesting woman said, there are enough open spaces that can be designated protest sites and used for the purpose. In fact, these rules are being gradually implemented in the big cities, particularly the national capital, New Delhi.
While the BJP minister in question has accepted the mistake – only objecting to the use of expletives by the angry woman – it requires a general acceptance of the principle to ensure that more violent protestors conform irrespective of who they are and what is their cause.
