By Satyakam Bharti
After fuelling vendetta against ‘North Indians’ in the hearts of sons-of-the-soil Marathis, Raj Thackeray has finally come to the point. By demanding 80% reservation for his brethrens in all kind of jobs in the state, he is very tactfully trudging the path once his uncle Bal Thackeray took to usurp power. By requesting, or threatening, the industry in the state to reserve jobs for Marathis, he is just trying to lagitimise his stand or diatribe against north Indians.
But, if that was the motive, then was all the violence that followed after Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) activists took to the streets required in the first place. True, Raj Thackeray may be behaving the way he was groomed as a typical Shiv Sena ‘crusader’, but by following the same ideology, if there was any, he is headed nowhere.
To understand this better, he can take off some time to visit the peaceful little state of Himachal Pradesh, which is yet untouched by xenophobia of the kind that afflicts sons-of-the-soil Marathis. The reservation issue raised by Raj is nothing new as any politician would any day like to encash it, and politicians in Himachal have, in fact, silently done it too. For the last few years, the state has been practicing 70% reservation for Himachalis in all private concerns as well, and today both the major parties in the state claim credit for having initiated the move.
But Raj can tour the small industrial pockets in Himachal to realize how industry is bleeding here, and thus realize that if 70% reservation here can do such damage to a small state, what would be the consequences in a state like Maharashtra that fuels the Indian economy. Ask any big or small industrialist in Himachal to know how difficult they have been finding it to locate bonafide Himachali workforce. Though no one would admit it on record, but a visit to the industrial units in Baddi, Nalagarh or Kala Amb would reveal how inspector raj is thriving in its new avataar, with industrialists being milked by petty government officials for not complying with 70% reservation norm. The industrialist here has no option but to bow to the official’s wishes as he has almost given up on finding bonefide Himachalis, and to run his unit he ultimately has to hire ‘illegal’ workforce.
Now, why the industry has failed to find enough Himachalis can be debated separately with several socio-economic reasons defining the employability of a Himachali, but there are certain factors that are common. Indian has finally emerged as one integrated economy and therefore it is no longer possible to live in exclusivity. Imagine the orchards in Himachal blooming without Nepali labourers or farms in Punjab going green without Bihari workforce. Similarly, the mills in Maharashtra too would die north Indian workers. Since no state in India can claim to be a complete economy, the very idea of regionalism to promote regional interests seems absurd.
By doing so we are only making ourselves minorities within our own states, fearful of venturing out and too incomplete to survive alone.
Hi
seen your article. Everything you wrote here is only a one side of the picture. Why don't you check through the second side of the picture. Why you bloggers write lie for your bosses.
If Prof. Prem kumar Dhumal ji led HP Goverment has ordered all Companies to ensure 70% work force (employement) from bonafide himachalis only then what is wrong there. If somebody is giving chance to us to show our talent .why are you having stomach aches ? Are you a pimp of these corporates?
70% reservation of jobs to himachalis is a small effort. It should be increased to atleast 90% at all level of jobs."JE HIMACHALE VICH BUSINESS KARNA HA TA PAHARIAN (HIMACHALIAN) jo naukrian dena hi paunian"
why don't you people raise voice on serious issues of himachalis. Despite having 70% reservation almost 50% of the total workers are non himachalis(UP de bhaiyye, bihari, punjabi etc.). Some of such kind of companies in BBN are Johnson& Johnson,Dabur, Cadbury, Torrent etc.Why dont you people write about thekedari system spread in BBN & kala amb?
It is reported by many workers that these companies are exploiting them.
In BBN area a new worker in any company get max. 3000-3500 Rs but you cant get even a dirty type single room in less then 1000-1500 Rs. All basic daily needs /ameneties are also very expensive. People of a specific community of sikhs living in BBN which are basically punjabi had earlier bought land /properties here are looting himachalis. They openly say bad about himachal. "EE SAALE SAINI /SARDAR KHANDE TA HIMACHAL DA PAR GUN GANDE PUNJABE DE". they charge high rents for rooms from poor himachali workers. Its hard to give 1000-1500 Rs for a factory worker who is earning just 3000-4000. i would like to request Dhumal sir (our honourable CM) that himachalis have many hopes from you. Please make a regulatory authority which may ensure affordable rent of rooms or ask companies to provide accomodation to himachali workers . Do ensure similar rates of daily need items. Dhumal sir, himachalis don't want biharis, plz do something to kick them out.
i don't live/work in BBN nor i am concerned with any company I wrote this because I love my state, My Himachal, my Pahari (Himachali) brothers and sisters. Its time now when himachalis should kick all bhaiyye out of himachal.
despite having a lot to write i am ending writing by saying"there should be regular raids by labour deptt." Dhumal ji himachal has voted for you. there should be atleast 1 raid a week in all companies by Dhumal sir, ramesh dhawala ji to check how much himachalis are getting jobs in BBN & kala amb.
note: we dont have intensiön to hurt féelings of any individual/ cast/ community.
Regards
on the behalf of Himachali Public
Jai Himachal
the author/ blogger is an MBA (international business from a highly reputed university of India.
Comments are closed.