So Spoke Rahul
Rahul Gandhi was speaking truth when he commented about the employment situation in India. He pointed out that India is flooded with Chinese goods, which denies employment to our labour. Speaking at the University of Texas, he said, “You go to India, you look at the phones, you look at the furniture, you look at the clothes ….. you will see on the back ‘Made in India’, that’s a fact”. Rahul is at his best when he is on the foreign land.
There was nothing surprising for the American audience regarding Rahul’s claim. American stores and malls, or say, markets, are themselves laden with Chinese goods. However, it is more regrettable that more than the western countries, the Chinese high skilled goods as well as labour intensive light manufacture have played havoc with poor India’s labour market.
Unfortunately, Rahul stopped short of only pointing out the grim situation in India. He avoided suggesting the steps which India can take to resolve its unemployment problem. Sam Pitroda, the chairperson of the Indian Overseas Congress and a family loyalist, recently stated that Rahul is not Pappu. He said that Rahul Gandhi has a vision. If it is so, it is good for Congress and India. However, we have not heard a word of his vision for developing India. He has not explained how Indian industry, especially manufacturing, can be boosted in India. He has opposed every attempt to reform land and labour laws, but at the same time failed to suggest any alternatives. Rahul is now in a responsible post of leader of opposition aspiring to be the next prime minister. In a democracy, the governments do change and he may become the prime minister. Electorate has a right to know his vision. He has to give his vision for the future development of India. Manmohan Singh government failed, as Modi government has failed, in creating millions of jobs for labour in the industry. This has led to the smaller land holdings of farmers and the poor plight of landless labourers in rural India. India is reeling under the pressure of unemployment and is fast losing its demographic advantage.
India has rolled out the first lot of high tech iPhone and is attempting to be a hub of semiconductor, but has failed miserably in technologically very easy labour intensive light manufacture like leather, textile, footwear, stationary, kitchen utensils, bicycle and sewing machines. A few days back I had argued against the present labour laws, which keep Indian and foreign capital away from labour intensive manufacturing. Indian labour is cheap and available in abundance and yet it is an irony that India doesn’t have labour intensive industries. This is, in my opinion, due to its labour laws which protect and pamper only 10% elite organised labour. If there is any other way of providing jobs to millions of labour, the leader of opposition should spell it out.
No government has dared to do anything about much-needed drastic reforms. Modi was successful in some reforms like bankruptcy act, GST and digitisation, but his efforts in more fundamental reforms of farms and labour have failed due to the resistance from opposition. Policy of convenience and expediency dictates Indian political class for raising only the voice of the vocal and strong groups like rich farmers and organised labour.
Rahul should make clear his future roadmap. Otherwise, we can only wish that if he comes to power, he will not confine himself only to social engineering and more freebies. India needs statesmanship at the helm in the period of transition.
