Unrealised aspirations causing social unrest

Naveen S Garewal 

Unfulfilled promises have come back to haunt the Manohar Lal Khattar government in the pre-election year. Employees and farmers had high hopes from the BJP government since the party had made several election promises. A direct corollary of large-scale disappointment is that the state has seen an umpteen number of agitations by employees of various departments. Not even one day passes when employees are not protesting.

Normally, an employees’ strike does not impact many people but for a “chakka jam” by Roadways workers. On several occasions the government bought time by cajoling protesters. But for the first time stink has spread far and wide across the state, affecting almost everyone. Literally, since May 9 the stench of collected garbage is permeating streets and colonies across Haryana. Where it became unbearable, garbage was lifted under police protection. 

The rot stems from dissatisfaction and disenchantment among people who lose patience when the government fails to fulfil promises. No wonder employees, who are around 1.3 per cent (328,370) of the state’s population (2.54 crore, according to the 2011 Census) manage to hold the government to ransom. May it be roadways employees, JBT or computer teachers, guest teachers or now “safai karamchari” all are demanding fulfilment of election promises, which broadly mean parity with employees in neighbouring Punjab. 

The BJP that prior to the 2014 elections results was hoping to be a junior partner of the INLD  was itself surprised when it managed to win 47 seats in the 90-member Vidhan Sabha. It had no inkling that lady luck would smile on it, otherwise they would not have made promises such as food grains at Rs 1 per kilogram to BPL families, regularisation of services of all contractual employees, implementation of the Swaminathan Commission report for better remunerations to farmers, a stipend to educated unemployed, curbing illegal mining, parity in pay with Punjab Government employees, etc. Some promises were fulfilled through national schemes, but several of them remain unfulfilled at the local level.      

Considering rise in longevity, 58 is not too old for retirement. The previous Congress government had raised the retirement age to 60, but the BJP government first reversed it to 58 and then under pressure of employees set up a committee under the Finance Minister to look into the issue. The committee recommended that there should be no across the board extension in age. However, the government has not taken any decision on the report and many employees have since retired at 58.  

Haryana is perhaps the only state in the country where the police force has an active association that holds meetings and presents demands to the government. This is perhaps one of the reasons that almost all police personnel, including officers who willfully failed to perform their duty during the 2016 Jat agitation, have gone unpunished. The Prakash Singh Committee report has at length pointed out the acts of omission and commission of police personnel who deserted armouries and police stations to be looted by hooligans, but no action has been taken against them.

No wonder when the government threatens to impose the Essential Service Maintenance Act, there is little impact as employees take it as a hollow attempt. The government had threatened to impose ESMA on striking doctors in September 2017 who were demanding higher salaries for specialists, time-bound promotions etc. In September 2016 also the government had imposed ESMA and suspended 11 agriculture development officers and proceeded against 147 other striking employees. However, all cases were later dropped. The government issued a similar threat to employees of the Power Department, Haryana Roadways and other departments but in the absence of political will and due to vote bank politics, the striking employees ignored even the ESMA threat. This time, too, the government did not impose ESMA on agitating Nagarpalika safai karamchari who are demanding regularisation of their jobs and better service conditions.

Not only employees of main departments, but also those of departments such as panchayats have managed to have their way with the government. Sarpanches and gram sachivs protested against e-panchayat, a Union government project. They held demonstrations, affecting work at the district level. The Chief Minister threatened them that they would be arrested and made them leave a meeting at his residence, but later coaxed them to return to work promising that no penal action would be taken.

Employees now understand well that the government is unwilling to take any harsh action against protesters. They have also realised that now the government cannot change its stand and deal with agitations with a firm hand. Therefore, it’s apt to assume that in the coming days employees will get more vocal in raising their demands, especially when the parliamentary elections are due in May 2019 and the Haryana Vidhan Sabha elections in October next year.

Since it is the first BJP government in the state, lack of experience in dealing with agitations has been apparent on more than one occasion. In fact, given BJP leaders’ inexperience, the bureaucracy has been calling shots in the last over three and a half years. Lack of coordination between ministers and seniors bureaucrats sends a wrong signal to employees’ unions, which exploit the situation without attracting any penal action.

The unfortunate incident of hurling ink  on the Chief Minister at Hisar on Thursday is a proof of frustration among people over failed aspirations. Earlier too, a youth had hurled a brick at Health Minister Anil Vij's car, smashing its windscreen. These people  are frustrated as they had high hopes from the BJP. 

Election promises are sacrosanct. In the first place none should promise anything that is not deliverable and if they do make promises, they should be held accountable. But unfortunately, public memory is short and in elections not many remember “failed promises”. Perhaps there is need to amend election laws to make politicians accountable for unfulfilled promises.