'Dispose-after-use’ migrant labourers
India spares no occasion to criticize the administration of countries such as Australia or America when Indians living there are attacked, calling it nothing less than ‘racism’. The government seems to believe that such incidents of communal hatred have to be condemned only when they happen on foreign soil. The exploitation and abuse of labourers from North Karnataka don’t come under this purview when they happen on the soil of southern part of the state. Why don’t the incidents of assault on labourers coming from places like Vijayapura and surrounding areas come to Mangaluru or Bengaluru for work, count as racism? Why doesn’t the state government pay heed to this and have a legal framework to protect their interests in place? The situation of labourers who move from north Karnataka to south, or to Mumbai from Bihar and to Gujarat from states such as Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh or any others.
In some way, more than those who leave the country in search of jobs; the situation of migrant labourers within their own country is more miserable to the core. A lot of them are being assaulted feeding into the rumour of ‘child lifters’. Their looks, language and culture set them apart from the locals. We often forget that our own people have also left our state and are earning their bread elsewhere. We show such intolerance towards Tamils, Telugus and Malayalis. However, this selective rage is never on the rich and elite. This is restricted to tea stall owners, car drives, labourers, hawkers etc.
We often run them down in an attempt to feel superior to them. We deem the Marathi people villains only when they attack Kannadigas living there. We want migrant labourers to do menial jobs for us but we prefer to keep them away from us. Our buildings can be built by those, but our gates will always remain closed for them. We perceive them as robbers, theifs and rapists when we are forced to trust them. The recent developments in Gujarat are an excellent example of this. The locals blamed a labourer, also a Bihari immigrant, of sexually assaulting a minor girl in the afternoon of September 28, 2018.
Soon after, series of assaults were unleashed upon the Biharis and north Indian immigrant labourers. Ruling BJP blamed Congress and Khatri Sena’s Alpesh Thakur as forces behind this evil attack. Even the sexual assault victim was said to be from Thakur community. From there things took a different social turn and this was used as an occasion to get even with the immigrant community that was stealing their jobs. Immigrant exodus began in hoards since violence was unleashed on labourers from other states. This naturally affected the industries and many sectors including real estate which uses their services heavily for their day-to-day work.
The industrialists began to request the politicians and leaders of the communities to check this trend and ensure the labourers didn’t flee the state. Protection was provided to industries that had employed labourers to ensure smooth flow of work and projects. The Industries and Commerce Federation of Gujarat requested intervention of Gujarat CM into the matter. This matter had to be resolved urgently since the investors’ conference was going to be initiated soon in 2019 January. Guj govt didn’t want the festive season to be affected along with industries suffering the ordeal.
This problem may be sorted soon. But that will provide no respite from the problems faced by migrant labourers. Their situation would be far worse than that of locals working in the same category. They do not even have negotiating power on salaries or benefits with their employers. They do not get representation on labour unions because of their immigrant status. They would like to come under the banner of some institution for their safety and welfare. The country and ruling dispensation should have more humane approach towards their plight and help them find a solution. There has to be some parameters in place to safeguard their lives when riots break out. It is a fundamental right. We must not treat them like a use-and-throw option to suit our requirements.
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Ready to face no-confidence motion, says Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah
Hassan (Karnataka) (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday said that the Congress government led by him was ready to face the no-confidence motion if moved by the opposition during the legislature session from December 8.
With Deputy CM D K Shivakumar by his side, he reiterated that they would both abide by the high command's decision on the leadership issue.
"Let them (opposition) bring in a no-confidence motion or adjournment motion or any other motion. We are ready to face it. Ours is an open book, transparent government. We are ready to face anything," Siddaramaiah said in response to a question.
However, BJP state President B Y Vijayendra and Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly R Ashoka, clarified that the party, along with the JD(S) has not discussed or decided anything so far regarding moving a no-confidence motion against the government.
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The winter session of the Karnataka legislature will begin in Belagavi, bordering Maharashtra, on December 8 and will go on till 19th of this month.
Not wanting to react to a question on the leadership issue, the CM said the Congress high command is very strong.
"D K Shivakumar and I will be committed to whatever the high command decides," he said.
Earlier in the day in Bengaluru, Shivakumar accompanied AICC Mallikarjun Kharge till airport from Vidhana Soudha, after paying tributes to B R Ambedkar on his 69th death anniversary, which had led to some speculation about possible discussion between the two on the leadership issue.
The power tussle within the ruling party had intensified amid speculation about a change in chief minister in the state, after the Congress government reached the halfway mark of its five-year term on November 20.
However, both the CM and Deputy CM had recently held breakfast meetings at each others residences, on the instructions of the high command, which is seen as a move to pause the leadership tussle between the two and to signal Siddaramaiah's continuation as the CM for the time being, especially ahead of the Belagavi legislature session.
