Hartal: From pro to anti-people

In the last seven decades, as many as 2,230 nationwide and regional hartals were enforced in the country, according to a book launched in the capital yesterday.

Of the strikes, 611 were enforced nationwide and 1,619 regionally from 1947 to 2017, says the book titled “Saat Doshoker Hartal O Bangladesher Rajnaiti” (Strikes in seven decades and politics of Bangladesh) by journalist Ajoy Dasgupta.

The book published by Bangla Academy also claims that at least 655 people died, about 25,000 sustained injuries and about 17,000 were arrested during the strikes.

For the book, Ajay Dasgupta, deputy editor of the Bangla daily Samakal, compiled newspaper reports of the last seven decades. According to the book, 1,550 hartals were called centring political issues, 86 centring economic issues, 323 centring regional issues, and 264 for others.  

Speaking at the launching programme held at Bangla Academy yesterday, National Professor Anisuzzaman said the book will be an invaluable source for researchers of Bangladeshi politics, economy and history.

Eminent political scientist Rounaq Jahan said that the book has created scope for introspection and discussion on why hartals between 1947 and 1971 were more effective as well as how many and to what extent hartals were spontaneous after the Pakistan period.

“Why is public support for hartal on the wane?” asked Rounaq, a Distinguished Fellow at the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), Bangladesh and visiting scholar at Columbia University, USA.  

She said that strikes around the world are an instrument of labour movement, but in the third world they are being used as a political tool.

The daily Samakal's publisher and former FBCCI president AK Azad said that businesses are the main victims of hartals.  

National University Vice Chancellor Professor Harun-or-Rashid, former State Minister for Foreign Affairs Abul Hasan, The Daily Observer Editor Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury and others also spoke at the book launch.

Speakers were of the view that hartals have long been a means to protest and realise democratic demands in the subcontinent and Bangladesh, in particular, during the struggle for independence. But while hartals used to be enforced peacefully and observed spontaneously in the past, they mostly turn violent now.

In pre-independent Bangladesh, hartals used to be called over pro-people issues and people observed those willingly because they could connect with the call. But now, on most occasions, political parties have to carry out subversive activities to create panic among people, they added.