Coronavirus: migrant workers sitting on the banks of the Yamuna in Delhi
For the first time since Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power six years ago, signs are emerging that his seemingly unwavering grip on legions of migrant workers may be slipping.
In the past two months, news has poured in from across the country about the plight of those who lost their income almost overnight when Prime Minister Modi announced a national foreclosure. Now anger is beginning to surface in key states against a leader who, by a large majority, won his second term last year.
“Why did he abandon us?” Jammun Jha, a textile factory worker who lost his job in Noida, asked PM Modi. The 50-year-old tried to board a bus to his village on May 29, some 1,200 kilometers away in Bihar.
“The Modi government has done very little for us this time,” said Jha, who voted for the Bharatiya Janata party last year. “Certainly people who have suffered like me will remember what we experienced during our next vote.”
Migrant workers make up almost a fifth of India’s workforce
So far, the changing feelings are mostly anecdotal: no credible survey has exploited the views of the more than 100 million migrant workers living in India. Prime Minister Modi has received high approval ratings for his handling of the virus, he retains a solid majority in the national parliament, a weak opposition remains largely ineffective and he does not need to call general elections until 2024.
But a wider change in attitude among voters like Jha poses a risk in national elections over the next 12 months, which could begin to erode the strength of the BJP-led coalition in the upper house of parliament. The foreclosure has largely failed to stem the virus in big cities like Mumbai and Delhi, and prolonged unemployment is starting to exacerbate tensions.
The first test for PM Modi will take place in November in Bihar, the largest source of migrant labor in the country, currently led by a coalition including its BJP. As one of the poorest and most populous states in India, it also has disproportionate importance as a political spokesperson.
Jammun Jha and his wife are sitting at a bus terminal in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh
“It is too early to say whether or not it will affect Prime Minister Modi’s political fortune,” Akhil Bery, a South Asian analyst at Eurasia Group, said by email. “It is possible that this could have a negative impact on the elections in Bihar – if the opposition is able to meet again.”
Interior Minister Amit Shah – Prime Minister Modi’s right-hand man kicked off the BJP election campaign in Bihar on Sunday – said the ruling party is sensitive to criticism over its treatment of migrant workers . While predicting that the government would return with a two-thirds majority, Shah urged them to ignore opposition leaders who criticize Prime Minister Modi’s response.
“You must distance yourself from these talks, especially from migrant workers,” said Shah. “Remember, the whole country appreciates you.”
Migrant workers and their families board buses in Delhi on March 28.
These workers represent almost a fifth of the Indian workforce, building its cities and operating its factories. Their anguish has been a constant backdrop to the country’s coronavirus response since Modi announced a lockdown on March 25 with just four hours’ notice, leaving many stranded without money or support from local authorities.
A political misstep that could hurt administration in places like Bihar was a plan to use special trains to transport workers from the cities of origin to the rural villages. It only started a month after the foreclosure and was plunged into chaos and tragedy.
Many people had no choice but to walk or cycle hundreds of miles, dragging their luggage and carrying children on their shoulders. A desperate group has traveled inside the cavity of a concrete mixer. Hundreds perished on the road to famine and accidents, including a group of migrant workers walking along the railroad tracks who fell asleep and were run over by a train.
Migrant workers wait in a bus on the banks of the Yamuna during their transfer to a shelter in Delhi on April 15.
“These migrants used to say a lot of good about Modi, but now they are very critical of him,” said Shaibal Gupta, economist and founder of the Asian Development Research Institute in Bihar, a specialized non-profit organization. in economics, politics. and development. Their dissatisfaction with the “raw deal” they received from the government will have an impact on the elections in Bihar, he said: “They will vote against Modi’s party and his coalition partner”.
There have already been outbreaks of social unrest. In Surat city, Gujarat state, Prime Minister Modi, police subdued angry workers with tear gas in five separate clashes in April and May as citizens demanded government to settle trains to help them return to the villages.
For its part, the ruling party sees no negative political impact.
“Most migrant workers decided to move when the lockout was extended and some incidents were indeed tragic,” spokesman Shahnawaz Hussain said by telephone. “But the government intervened quickly and showed that it takes care of them and is committed to their well-being,” he said.
So far, the main opposition party has failed to seize the political moment despite its harsh criticism of the government. Congressman Manish Tewari said the Modi administration’s attitude toward the workers was clear: “” You’ve broken the lock, go to hell now. “Nothing else can explain their brutality.”
A temporary shelter installed at the Yamuna Sports Complex in Delhi on April 15.
Unprotected by unions and politicians, migrants are often at the mercy of their employers for wages and benefits in sectors such as textiles, clothing and construction. They struggled to access the $ 277 billion support program announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, which promised cheap credit to farmers, direct money transfers to the poor, and easier access to programs food security.
Kishen Kumar Sharma, 28, paralyzed from waist to toe following an accident, was being treated in a Delhi hospital until the virus epidemic alerted the country’s medical system. Her treatment stopped, her two brothers lost their jobs, and they were evicted from their rented rooms and had to live on the roads for a week.
“Even the animals are treated better,” said Sharma, pushing his wheelchair along the road while trying to travel the 800 kilometers to his village in northern Uttar Pradesh while the family members were walking with him.
“Prime Minister Modi has spoken a lot, but his government has done nothing for us during this crisis,” he said. “I voted for the BJP, but next time I will not do it.”
