Politics in Maharashtra

So Raj Thakrey has replicated the idea of his uncle in his endeavour to consolidate his hold over the Maharashtrians. One should not forget that his uncle the Shiv Sena Supremo Bala Saheb Thakcrey had taken a leap in the state politics precisely using the same pretext of acting as the saviour of Marathi pride”. But years later realization dawned on him that parochial politics would confine him to the State of Maharashtra and ultimately he bid goodbye to this concept and embraced the Hindu concept. This saw him catapult to the national scene and his ultimate power to be the king maker.

The politics that Raj seem to be adopting is the exclusionary one. On the one hand he is violating the spirit of the Constitution which ensures the fundamental rights of movement across the country and on the other hand earning the wrath of non Marathis who had vented their reactions from multiple fora. But at the risk of annoying the liberal thinkers, I feel it is time for the government to take note of this development. It is very easy for anyone to criticize the act of Raj Thackerey and his goons in spreading anarchy by attacking the non Marathi workers. Though he is trying to take political mileage out of it, but the underlying message of the current anarchy can’t be discounted.

Though one may not admit it openly, but somewhere in the heart of our hearts and in the closest circles the local people do articulate their resentment at the outsiders occupying their chances of employment by providing services at cheap rates and the preference of the private employers to hire such workers who are gullible, vulnerable have no bargaining power, etc.

The fact should not be overlooked that these migrant workers come to big cities in search of work. In a way the migration has taken place mostly from UP, Bihar, MP, Orissa, West Bengal, etc. In a way both the central government and the state governments should wake up to the crude fact and own up responsibility for the lopsided development that is taking place in the country. Why there is no balanced development across the country? It is like feeding an overfed person.

Instead of concentrating developmental activities only in the over-developed cities and metros and instead locating such activities in the neglected and underdeveloped states and regions, can we expect the migration to halt. The NREGA has come very timely, but its lackadaisical implementation leaves much to be desired. The government should take developmental activities in its hand and should identify the activities and projects which are labour intensive in nature. Preference should be given to the local people in the matter of employment.

In fact no one would like to leave his hearth and home and wander in wilderness for his bread and butter. Hence the need of the hour is that the government both at the Centre and at state levels should chalk out developmental activities in the right earnest with prime the aim of creating employment opportunities for the skilled and unskilled workers in view. The scope of NREGA scheme devised to check migration by providing employment to unskilled workers should be expanded and the scheme should be implemented scrupulously.

Unless the undercurrents are addressed the mere rhetoric of violation of Constitution, disqualification of political parties, etc. will have no meaning because this will be a recurring feature and the opportunistic politics will take the driving seat and the migrant labour will always remain a sandwich between parochial politics and his need for survival.

By Sudesh Negi (The author can be contacted at negisudesh@rediffmail.com)