Dignity of Labor & Pakoda Politics

BY: RANBIR MANHAS PUBLISHED ON MARCH 1, 2018

Dignity of labor and Pakoda is the main topic of politics now a day with Opposition ridiculing the Prime minister for offering pakoda profession to crores of educated youth of the country in the name of employment and the ruling party in return lashing out at the Opposition for making mockery of lakhs of people who are feeding their families by doing smaller jobs like selling tea and pakodas.

There is no denying that pakoda profession is not an alternative of a government or a company job, but this is also a fact that lakhs of Indians across the world have been earning their livelihood and feeding their families by doing smaller jobs like selling confectionery; working as salesmen on shops and Malls; working as waiters in tea stalls, dhabas and restaurants, and driving taxis. I also know some class fellows of mine who after doing college went ‘abroad’ and made fortunes by frying fish and selling them on the sides of footpaths in Dubai. So I wonder if they do not feel shy in doing such a small job in other countries, why should our young men and girls feel shy in selling pakoras or doing some small job in their own country, particularly when daughter of former US President Barak Obama does not feel shy in serving in a restaurant in USA?

In this light if the Prime minister says that selling pakodas is far better than begging, what is wrong in it? He however has made it abundantly clear that his government was committed to provide better employment opportunities to the educated youth of the country for which he has been working on various job creating options the outcome of which according to him would soon start appearing. Interestingly, no youth organization has criticized Modi for his pakoda remark and it is only Congress and Smajwadi Party that have been raising hue and cry on the issue describing it as a slur to the unemployed youth thereby becoming their pleaders without wakalatnama. In this regard I have the following interesting tale to tell:

These days, I am in Delhi in connection with my periodical follow-up in AIIMS. Yesterday, when I was waiting outside Doctor’s room for my turn along with my son Ramneek, many other youth were also present there as attendants of their kin. Whereas the patients discussed about their post surgery health condition, their attendants were discussing failure of Modi government in dealing with the unemployment issue.

Suddenly one of them suggested, “We must organize to pull down Modi government this time”. “O.K, but who else can solve our issues”, asked another one. “Congress”, replied the first one. “No! Never!! Don’t you know that the present day chaos is due to the back log created by Congress itself, then how can we expect this party to solve this grave issue”, protested others. “Only Modi has the ‘chest’ to take harsh decisions for tackling harsh problems. If he is making certain promises, we must give him at least one more chance”, they opined. And they were not wrong.

As for Opposition’s allegations that unemployment has increased multifold over past few years of Modi rule, I want to furnish the following International report wherein Year wise unemployment %age in India and also country wise %age of unemployment has been depicted:

Country wise %age of unemployment

In the backdrop of the above year wise %age and the county wise %age of unemployment it is abundantly clear that Modi government has not been lagging behind in keeping the %age of unemployment under control. Therefore, has the Opposition any moral right to accuse the Modi government for any increase in the ratio of unemployment, let the people decide themselves.

Today’s politics whether on the issue of pakoda, farmer’s suicides, growing unemployment, GST or notebandi is basically aimed at dislodging Narinder Modi from the seat of power and for this his opponents from Farooq Abdullah to Sharad Pawar; from Akhilesh Yadav to Laloo Yadav; from Jignesh to Hardik and from Yechuri to Rahul Gandhi have joined hands. Even BJP’s trusted old ally Shivsena has begun opposing Modi. Question therefore arises, “Why parties like Shivsena, NCP, Congress and Leftists who are ideologically poles apart have made Modi as their common target unless they have something common in them. And what could be that common in them which could have become an axis for both friends and foes to revolve around Modi like drones? The question is complex but not difficult to solve, the key however is a little brain exercise!

The demonetization has already served a massive blow to all political parties whose ‘ underground stores’ of currency notes that were earned over the years and kept for use in elections have been rendered waste. Now, Modi has made it clear that he was going to seize all the illegally acquired ‘benami’ properties and auction them to raise funds for the development of the country. So, just imagine if Modi succeeds in getting massive foreign investments for which he is running from pillar to post and also if he succeeds in collecting huge sums of money from internal resources like the ‘benami’ properties for which he has already begun the process, then what will happen of the Opposition could be anybody’s guess.

In light of above facts, one can easily profess that a day will soon come when farmers will stop committing suicide; when our large number of unemployed youth will get proper employment; when our GDP will considerably go up; when our industries will flourish and our price index will improve. And this in fact is a matter of worry for the Opposition believing that once it happens their ambition of returning to the corridors of power would be sealed for next couple of terms if not for ever hence joining heads and hands together forgetting their politico-ideological differences and contradictions. The ball however, is in the hands of the voter and how he plays it in general elections of 2019, will matter.

One thing however, which our new generation of ‘angry young-men’ must understand is that the scope of getting government job has since ended due to saturation in various government institutions. The only opportunity to get a government job depends on the number of officials retiring every year, but this number will not be much. Therefore, the only option left is the private job or a private business for which one needs to gain experience and proper vocational training. One wonders when our educated youth feel proud in serving in foreign countries as taxi drivers, workmen, salesmen, waiters, barbers, washer men, fish fryers, pakoda sellers or tea vendors, they don’t want to even own their own establishments for which the present government has been offering incentives and facilities of sorts. The inhibition is dangerous hence must go. Let’s not forget that Modi sold tea before becoming India’s Prime minister; Dhirubhai Ambani worked as a salesman at a petrol pump before becoming one of the richest men of the country; Dharampal Gulati used to run a small roadside spices shop before becoming the master of world famous MDH spices; Shivkisan Agarwal founder of Haldiram ran a small sweet and namkeen shop in Bikaner before becoming one of the major sweets and snacks suppliers of the world; Swami Ramdev who has succeeded in providing local alternative of foreign brands of different commodities of daily use without having any sound financial background and the list is unending.

Just imagine if they could make fortunes and become source of employment of lakhs of people by a humble beginning then why can’t we at least earn for our families? The Golden dictum therefore is: Make up your mind, take a leap believing that no work that provides you your livelihood is small and future is yours!