INLD doing mischief

The Indian National Lok Dal put thousands of commuters to extreme inconvenience by blocking roads for Punjab vehicles entering Haryana on Monday, all to curry favour with the party’s key constituency, the farmers. The day passed off without any serious incident of violence, which goes to the credit of the state government, even as it failed to prevent or defuse the agitation in the name of the SYL canal. But given the potential for the amassed protesters turning violent, the Haryana and Punjab administrations took a non-confrontationist approach, while managing diversion of traffic ahead of the roadblock points. The INLD attempted to seem concerned about people’s inconvenience by presenting them with flowers, but the party needs to be condemned in the strongest terms for attempting to flare up an otherwise legal tussle that ought to be settled across the table or in courts.

The dispute over water sharing between Punjab and Haryana has already inflicted a heavy cost on the states, it being among the major triggers for Punjab’s decade of violence. Unfortunately, parties such as the INLD and the SAD — whose base is limited to their respective states — have every now and then found physical confrontation as the mode of choice for protest in the hope it would make them look more sincere to the farmers’ cause. They cannot be farther from reality, as each protest only drives deeper the distrust between communities; and resolution to the dispute remains as elusive as ever.

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has called the INLD opportunist. He has to realise the Opposition will always look for an opportunity to exploit any disgruntled section of society, and it is for the government to connect with those sections. Farmers have some serious issues, with their incomes on the decline. It is fortunate that most farmer movements have remained apolitical and secular. But addressing their concerns is of utmost importance, else the SYL canal, jobs, crop prices, et al, will remain convenient tools for mischief.