While last night the Constituent Assembly members from the coalition of thirty opposition parties lead by the Maoists had their violent uprising in the parliament hall injuring a number of people and destroying public property within (see images below), their foot soldiers were busy today enforcing a bandh (general strike/shut down) the parties had called.
And when our corrupt political leaders are not vandalizing the parliament hall, they are usually found conniving with both our equally corrupt and sycophantic bureaucrats — in running an atrocious bureaucracy — and other authorities.
Bibeksheel Nepali, another political party, on the other hand, called a rally to peacefully protest today’s bandh. I attended the rally and recorded some of the events on video, the final product of which appears below.
Enjoy!
The transcript:
No Can Do In Kath Man Du!
January 20, 2015In the last several days, a coalition of the opposition parties, headed by the Maoists, have been holding bandhs (general strikes) unsatisfied with the way the constitution drafting process has been going.
Bandhs call for, amongst a number of things, closure of school, vehicles to be off the road, businesses to be shuttered etc., basically holding the citizens hostage and bringing the valley to its knees.
Bibeksheel Nepali, a political party, organised a peaceful protest rally opposing today’s Bandh.
The rally started at Maitighar late morning and was heading towards Basantapur via Bhadrakali Marg when the enforcers of the Bandh caught up…
The peaceful protestors are in the background.
>>Off screen voice: Thok! (Pelt them!)
>>Off screen voices of enforcers: Vigilante haru hosiyar! Hosiyar, hosiyar!! (Vigilantes beware! Beware, beware!!)
>>Off screen voice: Aayo aayo, toli aayo! (More support is arriving!)
>>Han han han! (Pelt pelt pelt [them with stones]!)
More enforcers of the Bandh break through the Armed Police Force human barricades.
What the “vigilantes”–participants of the peaceful rally–were pelted with by THE vigilantes (of the Bandh callers)!
The rally participants get stopped by the Armed Police Force human barricade!
Prevented from going any farther, the “vigilantes” end their peaceful rally…peacefully and disperse!
So it seems…Bandhs also call for a bandh (ban) on peaceful rallies opposing such bandhs!
One of the guys enforcing the bandh (one of the real vigilantes) said it best when he shouted the following as he went past me…
“Kasto, Bandh garna pani napaune?! Bandh garnu ta hamro adhikar ho yaar!”
(“So now we can’t even have a strike?! We have the right to strike!”)
In other words, it seems we must respect their right (to call a strike, bring the city to its knees AND enforce it violently) to take away our right (to protest peacefully)!
Jai Nepal! Pashupatinath le hamro sabaiko rakchha garun!
(Long live Nepal! May Pashupatinath–the God of Destruction–protect us all!)
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