Haryana Government Giving 75 Per Cent Quota In Private Jobs For Locals Is Anti-National And Anti-Business

In India, it is not hard to find government policies that are ant–Hindutva i.e. against the interests of Hindus, anti-national i.e. against the interests of the nation or anti-business. But it is very rare that a policy ticks all the three boxes.

Of the top of my head, at the centre level, I can think of the passage of the Right to Education Act in 2009 by the Congress-led UPA government under the aegis of Sonia Gandhi as one such legislation.

On thorough analysis, I am sure we can find more such policies implemented by the Congress party, both at the Centre and State level.

The BJP is not saintly either. It still continues with anti-national “minority policy“ of the UPA based on flawed Sachar Committee recommendations. The party may be more business-friendly than the Congress but in the last six years, it has implemented many anti-business policies as well.

And it’s not free of the charge of hurting the cause of Hindutva either either by acts of omission (not changing school history syllabus prepared by Marxist luminaries 15 years ago) or commission (taking over temples and their wealth for secular purposes).

But it’s “rarest of rare” moments when a BJP policy can be termed anti-national, anti-Hindutva and anti-business at the same time.

That moment came on Monday (6 July 2020) when Haryana Cabinet approved in principle the proposal to bring an ordinance that will mandate that 75 per cent of the jobs paying less than Rs 50,000 per month in private sector go to the state’s residents.

To be clear, it was a poll promise of the BJP’s ally Jannayak Janata Party (JJP). But now it belongs as much to Chief Minister Khattar as to JJP leader Dushyant Chautala.

This terrible idea was first implemented in Andhra Pradesh last year in July by the newly formed YSRCP government.

Though, no one was surprised at the time since it was being done by a government of a regional party and they can be always trusted to cater to parochial interests over those of the nation. But for a national, nay, a nationalistic party, to champion such a narrow minded policy is indeed shocking and disappointing for its support base expects the BJP to put ‘Nation First’.

First, these kind of legislations are anti-national to the core. Quota for locals, that too in private sector, is a slippery slope and no it’s not a logical fallacy.

If residents of other states can’t get jobs in Haryana or Andhra Pradesh, it is only a matter of time before other states, especially the ones where private sector is comparatively strong and jobs are plenty, are also forced to close their borders to people from poorer regions. With slowing economy, rising unemployment and contracting government jobs, will be a reality sooner rather than later.

This threatens the nation-building project for if states and residents turn inwards, then the national unity will be a pipe-dream. Free movement of people within the country is the most basic pre-requisite for achieving national integrity and unity and being able to get employment in any part of the country is the very basis and rationale for moving out of one’s native state and settling in others and mingling with fellow countrymen.

All this helps strengthen the feeling of being part of one nation. But with harmful policies like quota for locals in private sector jobs, we won’t remain Indians first but will slowly move towards being Tamils, Punjabis, Bengalis, Haryanvis and Biharis first. The hard earned gains of the last seven decades on social front stand threatened.

Second, such parochial policies are very harmful to the Hindutva project. It is not a coincidence that Hindutva has gone from strength to strength post the liberalisation of economy and the rise of private sector. Millions of impoverished have been lifted out of poverty and moved to middle class status.

Free movement has allowed them to move from villages to urban centres, getting out of their caste ghettoes to cities where they can be Hindus first. These millions of people, from middle and lower middle classes, today are the lifeblood of the Hindutva project.

If we return to the same old provincialism, the gains Hindutva has made will be wiped out and old Congress style politics of “caste arithmetic” will make a comeback with a vengeance.

Third, these policies are undoubtedly anti-business. Private sector in Haryana is still in infancy. Barring Gurgaon and Faridabad, industries are almost non-existent in the state. And these two have benefited primarily because they share border with New Delhi. Other districts like Jhajjar and Sonipat which are neighbours of the national capital are starting to reap economic gains as private sector units are shifting there. But this policy of the Khattar government stand to nip this progress in the bud.

Haryana government gets major share of its tax collection from cities like Gurgaon and Faridabad where major manufacturing and services firms are located and they employ migrants from other states in huge numbers. This money helps the government finance most of its welfare spending. Now, it wants to eat its cake and have it too.

Haryana is one of the leading states when it comes to unemployment and the reason is that it lags behind developed states in education sector. There are no reputed institutes of higher learning in the state. Primary education is no better. Rather than investing in education and funding programs to skill youth, the government wants to take a short cut and force the private sector to take care of the unemployable youth.

But the government should understand that private firms are under no obligation to follow its diktats. They can simply move to those states (Or countries) where they are valued. Forget about attracting firms moving out of China, such policies will push away whatever limited private sector there is in Haryana.

Eventually, Haryanvis won’t get the private sector jobs they think this law will bring, the government will lose a big chunk of its taxes and more people will be forced to move to other states where they will be unwelcome. Haryanvis, for whom this government is claiming to be bringing this policy, should understand that they will be the biggest losers.

If the BJP cares about national interest, Hindutva project and businesses, it should give the Khattar government a rap on the knuckles for coming up with this policy.