Political Diary
New
Delhi, 16 October 2018
Regionalism
Raises Ugly Head
INSIDER
‘VETO’ ON OUTSIDER
By
Poonam I Kaushish
India pre-1947 resounded to the battle cry of
“throw out the British”. Sprinkled with nationalism, all pledged to make India
united and secular. The 2018 Mera Bharat
Mahan is all about chucking the “outsider aam aadmi” from States and imposing an “insider curfew” on them.
Peppered with loads of patriotic regional chaap,
all promising to make their respective States more local and faithful than
ever.
The trigger for the latest exodus of Biharis
and UP bhaiyas from Gujarat was the
abysmal rape of a 14-month-old girl in Sabarkantha district by a Bihari lad
last week. This unleashed the genie of regionalism in the State whereby the
State was caught in the vortex of ‘Gujarat for Gujaratis’ and ‘throw out the
North Indians’ campaign resulting in poor migrants being beaten, attacked and
threatened, notwithstanding, assurance by Chief Minister Rupani of safety and
action against the perpetrators.
Similar to the ‘throw out North-Easterners’
from Bengaluru in October 2014. Recall, two North-East students were beaten by
three men for not speaking Kannada and another by seven men. Alongside, they were
asked if they were Japanese, Chinese or Korean? Indeed, resentment runs deep over
North-East and North Indian techies flooding the city with their loud, noisy,
in-your-face manners. In Mumbai, the same paranoia against North Indians raises
its ugly head every few years. In Punjab and Assam Biharis are no longer
welcome.
Questionably, are we racist? Is regionalism
ingrained in our psyche? How does one control the hate mongers? Does our polity
realize the ramifications of this regionalism? Does it not further divide
people on regional lines and is antithetical to hope of narrowing India’s
burgeoning regional divide, thereby unleashing a Frankenstein?
Clearly, in a milieu of competitive
democracy, if caste politics ensures convergence of electoral booty, politics
based on region has better chance of polarising voters via vicious speeches induced raw emotions of hostility and hate.
Who cares if it is destructive, stokes violence and sows seeds of rabid
regionalism alongside communalism.
Recall, regionalism debuted in Tamil Nadu in
early 60s, wherein people’s alienation from the Centre led to the DMK’s birth, which
later split into AIADMK etc. It then moved to Maharashtra where little-known
cartoonist Bal Thackeray became the self-styled champion of everything Marathi.
His Shiv Sena nurtured on the infamous `Marathi
manoos' standard, by which practically everyone in Mumbai was an `outsider'
except 28% Maharashtrians. His first victims were skilled labourers from
southern States who were branded “lungi-wallas”
and their businesses attacked. After them Gujarati entrepreneurs and now North
Indian UP bhaiyas or Biharis.
Then Assam burnt over the foreigners issue in
the 70’s, when the All Assam Students Union started an oust all “illegal Bangladeshi
migrants” movement. This caught the people’s imagination and the Congress Government
was voted out and Asom Gana Parishad elected. In Nagaland and Manipur students
want all non-Nagas-Manipuris out. Regionalism had arrived.
In November 2003, India resounded to
parochialism again, when Assamese stopped 20,000 Biharis from taking a
recruitment test in Guwahati. Biharis retaliated by stopping trains from North
East, dragged people out and killed beat. Assamese hit back killing over 52
Biharis. Dreaded militant outfits ULFA and All Bodo Students Union joined the
mayhem. Their slogan: “All Hindi speaking people leave Assam”. “Catch Assamese
and kill them,” countered Biharis.
Why blame locals alone? Our netas too reveled in playing the
regional card. In the 1999 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP dubbed Congress Lucknow
candidate Karan Singh, former J&K’s Sadr-i-Riyasat
‘outsider’ vis-à-vis ‘insider’ Vajpayee. Never mind, Lucknow is miles away from
Gwalior, Vajpayee’s birthplace. Interestingly, the Sangh again portrayed
‘Vajpayee the local’ in Himachal, by underscoring his love for Manali.
Thus, regionalism thrived with Parties and
leaders making it their mantra.
Former Prime Minister and kisan leader
Charan Singh floated the farmer-oriented Janata Party and Devi Lal Lok Dal in
Haryana. Badal his Akali Dal in Punjab, NT Rama Rao Telugu Desam in Andhra, Bangla’s
Mamata Banerjee her Trinamool Congress and Naveen Patnaik floated the BJD in
Orissa. All with a common USP: “We are locals who shall rule, Delhi is dur --- the outsider.”
Additionally, Mandalisation gave a further
impetus to regionalism with “Made in India” leaders Mayawati, Mulayam, Laloo,
etc. Their electorate no longer was willing to know-tow to centrist Parties and
those foisted by them. They plugged for own biradari.
Further complicating matters we not only have
castes and sub-castes(gotras): Brahmins, Baniyas, Dalits, and Kapus etc, we
also have to deal with Biharis, UPwallahs, Haryanvis and all South Indians are
dubbed Madrasis. Along-with pre-conceived notions on place, language, cuisine
and customs a person comes from. Consequently, our large regional diversity, leads
to communities pitted up against each other ideologically or for resources.
While Northerners look down on ‘Madrasis’ and their eating habits, Southerners
think ‘Panjus’ are loud, braggers and only good enough for Bhangra! The Bengalis are intellectuals,
and a half-decent Bihari is supposed to crack IAS. There are the stingy 'Gujjus’ from the West and 'Bhaiyyas' from UP. These differences
make people suspicious of those who are not like them. Hence, ‘people like us’
close ranks. These closed communities are naturally full of prejudices towards
the ‘outsider.’
Undoubtedly, citizens should have equal job
opportunities across the country. The problem kicks in when locals demand their
pound of flesh and to some extent, rightly so. Arguably, why should people from
outside a State apply for menial jobs? If outsiders corner sweepers or helpers jobs
where should the locals go for their bread and butter? Join militants and take
up guns? Does that promote national integration?
In States where militancy rages, statistics prove
unemployed local youths taking to crime and terrorism as jobs are cornered by
outsiders. Kashmir and North East bear this out.
Alas, over the years are polity has chipped
away with deadly precision at the reality of a united and integrated India
where regional aspirations play second fiddle to national unity. And, where
every Indian has the right to live in any part of the country he chooses and
get equal opportunities to earn a decent livelihood. In sum, an India that is
equitable and offers a level-playing field for all classes, castes and
communities.
High time we remember India is a Union of States
and address this ‘outsider’ issue else regionalism will lead to disintegration
of the country. The Government needs to put in place a strong deterrence in
instances of violence towards a particular community or regional abuse against ‘outsiders’
who come to different States to eke out a living.
The country
needs a strong anti-racial law to condemn all forms of racist discrimination,
abuse, assaults and killings as it a threat to their right to live. The Law
Ministry needs to frame a strong law which covers all kinds of regional crimes
committed against regional minorities living away from home.
A clear no-tolerance policy towards regional
intolerance is the need of the hour. The message should be loud and clear. Time
we looked beyond the gora-kala-Hindu-Muslim,
Madrasi-Punjabi phobia. We are two sides of the great
skin divide - all people. We need to sing along to that old Bollywood
song: Hum Bihari hain toh kya huah, dil
wale hain! ----- INFA
(Copyright, India
News & Feature Alliance)
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