HARTALS AND THE ‘DAILY WAGERS’ OF KASHMIR
If the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) President Abdul Hamid Punjabi is to be believed, then consequent to the execution of Afzal Guru, Kashmir’s economy has suffered an estimated loss of Rs 4,500 crores due to hartals called for by separatists groups as well as curfews imposed by the Police in the Valley. Of course, there is a distinct possibility that these figures could be grossly inflated and may even include certain ‘notional’ losses. However, one cannot gainsay the fact that such long periods of ‘commercial inactivity’ on account of protests in accordance with the ‘hartal calendar’ issued by the Mutahida Majlis Mashawarat (MMM) and the curfews imposed by the Police as a ‘precautionary measure’ has the potential of proving to be the proverbial last straw for the average Kashmiri !
The main problem in Kashmir is that everyone seems to be either having a pressing ideological mission to accomplish or a critical socio- political duty to perform and thus, everyone appears to be overburdened by their self-created compulsions. The mainstream politicians claim to be completely involved in bettering our lot – even though all they seem to be doing is to score brownie points by accusing each other of poor governance and letting down the public. The separatists tell us that have the onerous responsibility of getting us ‘azadi’ and are working overtime for this – even though one finds that despite all their claims and efforts, no material progress has been made in this regard. The security forces and Police on their part tell us that it is committed to maintaining law and order so that we are safe and free, even though all we experience are restrictions on movement, prohibitory orders and imposition of curfews as well as militant strikes in the middle of Srinagar!
Mercifully, there is one category of Kashmiris, which seem to have no compulsions. This segment of society patiently accommodates all the rest, does just as the ‘compulsion-infected’ class tells them to, makes no complaints and suffers silently. And the beauty is that while they exhibit such laudable human qualities, they are neither saints nor the opulent, who have the means to sustain themselves even when there is no work at hand. On the contrary, they are the very simple, impoverished, God fearing and rustic people whom we loosely refer to as ‘daily wagers’! And they remain silent, not of their own volition, but simply because no leader or group is willing to articulate the immense problems they face on account of incessant hartals and curfews. So, oblivious of their sufferings, the newly created MMM is having a field day dishing out ‘hartal calendars’. And when the MMM declares Sunday a ‘working day’ to ‘compensate’ for a hartal on Saturday in an attempt to show that it cares for the public, it only reveals that they really have no clue as to how the household of daily wagers run! Infact, MMM’s apathy towards daily wagers, reminds one about the French Revolution anecdote in which the Queen of France Marie Antoinette, on being told that the impoverished peasants were agitating because there was no bread to eat, is supposed to have innocently exclaimed- “So why don’t they eat cakes?”
I am sure that the separatist conglomerate must have certainly applied their minds before creating the MMM. And since a new body was being created in an already ‘ideologically overcrowded’ environment’ solely for the purpose of getting back the mortal remains of Afzal Guru, there were great expectations that this new organisation would come out with a novel and effective strategy. Unfortunately, all the MMM has done is to revive the age-old protest ‘culture’ by issuing a ‘hartal calendar’ which has disrupted normal life. And this is a typical example of how we continue to create our own Frankensteins – the MMM issues a protest programme to demand the mortal remains of Afzal Guru. In response, protesters gather in large numbers; security forces attempt to restrain them by using force. Protesters respond by pelting stones and violence erupts. The security forces open fire- a protester is killed and the government imposes curfew. The MMM now calls for another protest- this time, not for the mortal remains of Afzal Guru but for the person killed in police firing. Protesters gather once again, there is violence followed by bloodshed resulting in a curfew and this vicious cycle of protests- deaths and curfews continues indefinitely!
Protests and hartals, it seems, suits everyone. For the ruling party, it provides a ready excuse for diverting public attention from its own failure of not being able to provide basic amenities and implement the promised projects and schemes, while for the opposition it’s a good opportunity to flay the government for not being able to maintain law and order. Separatists get the opportunity to criticise the government and security forces for excesses as well as engage in a show of strength by calling for protests and hartals. And while the security forces cite the persistent law and order problem to justify their large presence in Kashmir, government employees are happy with hartals as they are paid their dues even when they are comfortably sitting at home. Unfortunately, it is perhaps only the daily wager who has to suffer during hartals, since each day of closure could well mean sleeping on an empty stomach for him and his family or falling short of funds to repay the next loan installment!
An estimated two lac people in Kashmir are directly dependent on tourism and with the onset of the tourist season, there is a need to rethink the ‘hartal calendar’ strategy, so that the livelihood of these ‘daily wagers’ is not jeopardised. A recent survey conducted by Indian Chambers of Commerce reveals that there has been a 35 per cent decline in the numbers of female foreign tourists visiting India after the heinous ‘Nirbhaya’ gang rape and mutilation incident occurred in Delhi. This clearly illustrates how a general feeling of insecurity and uncertainty can have an extremely negative impact on tourism. It is not intended to suggest that we should abandon our efforts to get back the mortal remains of Afzal Guru or put the movement for the ‘right to self determination’ into the backburner. However, there is a definite requirement to evolve such methods of protests that do not give tourists a feeling that Kashmir is not a safe place to visit. But this is only possible if we get over our primitive mindset that even in today’s world, hartals are the only means for registering protests.
Tailpiece: Today in Kashmir, the word ‘daily wager’ has become synonymous to an ‘inferior’ human being- a person exposed to abject helplessness, total vulnerability and complete subjection. Not only this, the term also seems to have lately acquired a derogatory connotation. And this is evident from the fact that Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has been sarcastically referred to as a “daily wager” by the opposition as well as the separatists, since in their opinion he has no authority of his own and can only act strictly in accordance with ‘diktats’ issued by New Delhi! But let us not ridicule the daily wager of Kashmir who needs help and not pity, so that he can earn an honest living and this is only possible if the frequency of hartals comes down drastically. But, who really cares for the daily wager? And, if some group or leaders claim that they do, then why is this primitive form of protest that has no effect on the State government or New Delhi, but only sends our young to the grave and makes our less privileged brethren suffer and starve, still continuing?