Hate attacks in Gujarat: Why we can’t just wish away the migrant workforce
Assimilation remains the key
The hate attacks on the migrants in Gujarat have brought back the past memories of anti-North Indian violence in Maharshtra and elsewhere.
In this present case, most of these migrants went to Gujarat for livelihood, thereby contributing to the development of Gujarat economy.
Abduction and rape of a minor, reportedly, triggered the recent violence in the state.
This is a crime most abhorrent and the guilty must be caught and punished as soon as possible. There can be no doubt regarding this.
However, not all migrant workers are criminals. Most of them are just common people, trying to earn a decent livelihood.
The problem is that these issues gets politicised and escalate very quickly, as most things do in India. And in these days of social media outreach, the indignation reaches the boiling point in no time.
The police and administration have moved swiftly, booking potential trouble-makers, arresting over 340 and ensuring strategic deployment to avert any untoward incidents.
The problem partly lies in two cultures trying to acclimatise and co-exist.
At some places it happens seamlessly; at others, it takes time to build up trust.
There is no easy solution to this.
On one hand, there are states with higher unemployment rates, forcing the natives to migrate to other states for work. On the other hand, the state governments must pander to the demands of the local population, because, they are also the voting population after all.
The Gujarat incident has already led to serious discussions in the government circles over ensuring at least 80 per cent of the jobs for the locals.
There is another side to the story.
Migrant labour is cheap and comes handy when there is not enough number of local workers. Close to 90 lakh people have migrated intra-states in the country between 2011 and 2016 — that is a staggering four and a half crore workforce.
The Census of 2011 pegged the total number of internal migrants in the country, including interstate and intra-state, at a stunning 13.9 crore.
This huge volume suggests that development in some parts of the country have not kept pace with other parts.
A part of this huge number is made up of the extremely marginalised, seasonal migrants, who are employed in low-paying, informal, often unregulated and often hazardous jobs in construction, manufacturing, transport and domestic services.
There is little or no legal protection available to them. Urban planners often don't factor them into their planning or vision.
The ruling party in Gujarat has accused Congress leader Alpesh Thakore's outfit for fanning the flames. The Congress denied it, but was caught on a wrong foot as the Uttar Pradesh unit of the party has declared a state-wide stir to protest the alleged attacks.
Thakore himself played down the incidents, but the damage may have already been done. Industries have reported a drop in productions, ahead of the festival season and this trend is not expected to reverse anytime soon.
The issue is not going to get resolved soon. The migrants have become a part and parcel of the development stories of the industialised states, like Maharashtra and Gujarat — they form a large chunk of the agricultural workforce in states like Punjab.
Migrant workforce drives the infrastructure boom in Delhi-NCR. Assimilation remains the key. Ensuring basic rights and formulating policies to safeguard the interests of both the locals and the migrants would lead to everyone enjoying the fruits of development.