Shailendra Singh, a law student from Charkhi Dadri district in Haryana, has already made up his mind which button he will press in the forthcoming Assembly elections.
“I will not vote for anyone, though voting is a good thing. I would, perhaps, go for the option of NOTA (None of the Above)”, says Shailendra with whom we caught up on a bus from Rohtak to Kharkhauda.
Shailendra is critical of the incumbent chief minister, Manohar Lal Khattar, for suggesting earlier that the boys in Haryana can get brides from Kashmir following the abrogation of Article 370. “Kashmiri women are independent to make their own decisions, who are we?”, asks Shailendra.
He then pauses and says, “There’s something else which, if possible, I would like you to make viral.”
Vacancy Spree Just Ahead of Elections
Soon the diatribe on women security is followed by concerns for the future due to lack of jobs in a state that has the highest rate of unemployment in the country, according to recent estimates by CMIE.
Shailendra questions the intentions of the BJP-led government in the state behind announcing vacancies just months before the assembly elections were due.
“As soon as elections came, so many vacancies were announced. Be it the post of Patwari or clerk or vacancies in the Haryana Police. All these vacancies were announced, even the results of JE (Junior Engineer) were declared. Why now? Was it done just because elections are round the corner? Where were all these people for the last four years?”Shailendra Singh, Resident of Charkhi Dadri
On 8 June 2019, chief minister ML Khattar had announced, at a function in Jhajjar, that 20,000 vacancies in various government departments will be filled in next three months.
But announcing vacancies is clearly not enough as the state’s track record is not impressive when it comes to filling government posts in a transparent manner.
“The Khattar government had come to power in 2014 with a promise of getting rid of unemployment by either offering jobs to all those registered at the employment exchanges or offering a stipend of some kind. Making some announcements just before an election is nothing but eyewash as the state government has no blueprint how it will go about recruitment.”Anupam, Spokesperson, Swaraj India
16 Lakh Unemployed But Govt Boasts of Group D Recruitment
It was a scam related to the recruitment of teachers that had led to the arrest of Haryana’s former chief minister, Om Prakash Chautala, in 2013.
The Khattar government, however, has managed to create the image of a corruption-free dispensation after it managed to complete the recruitment for 18,000 Group D vacancies in 2018 without any hassle.
The criticism against the state government has been that it has continued to remain on evasive when it comes to admitting the exact number of unemployed across the state.
In December 2018, RTI requests with 15 district-level employment exchanges in Haryana had revealed that there were 16 lakh registered unemployed in the state.
When the Opposition raised the issue in the Assembly, in February 2019, the state government initiated action against those information officers who had responded to the RTI pleas.
According to the latest ABP C-Voter survey, unemployment is the biggest election issue in Haryana with 28 percent people ranking it above water and farmer distress.
For Bindu Dhankar, an MA student from a neighbouring village of Rohtak, sitting for exams conducted by the state government at distant exam centres was nothing short of a nightmare.
“We need more job opportunities. Announcing so many vacancies right before the elections and then allocating exam centres which were so far. Does the government really think we don’t understand it’s an election gimmick?”Bindu Dhankar, Student
Livelihood Affected Due to Penalties Under the New Motor Vehicles Act
For Santosh, who’s in her sixties, heavy penalties imposed under the recently passed Motor Vehicles Act have been a cause of stress on a daily basis.
“Which son, daughter or daughter-in-law of mine got a job? Even those who are trying to make a living by giving rides to passengers are facing problems. We didn’t get any government job so someone had to take up driving, but even that hits a hurdle when challans are issued.”Santosh, Resident of Sonipat
Under the new Motor Vehicles Act passed by the Parliament in July 2019, fines have been revised in order to ensure road safety. While the fine for driving without license has been increased from Rs 500 to Rs 5,000, the penalty for over-speeding has been increased from Rs 400 to Rs 2000.
Will this inconvenience posed by the new legislation impact Santosh’s voting preference? “I will vote for whoever my kids will tell me”, she says, unwilling to spill the beans yet.
Some candidates are aware of the dissatisfaction among people like Santosh who have been hit by a slew of fines lately. No wonder, on 10 October 2019, BJP candidate from Fatehabad, Dudaram Bishnoi, announced during his campaign that no challans will be issued if he’s elected to power.
‘What Did Khattar Do for the Zamindar?’
When asked if she’s happy with the ruling dispensation in the state, Santosh’s frustration gives way to anger. “What has Khattar done for the Zamindar?”, she asks, while referring to the Jats, a community commonly referred to as ‘Zamindar (landlord)’ in the state.
“Not just our boys, even girls should get jobs”, Santosh says further when asked to elaborate on her expectations from the new government.
Underneath her forceful demand for jobs lies the harsh reality of rise in unemployment among the Jats in Haryana whose share of land holdings in the state has been on a decline over the years.
In 2016, the Jats had led a protest demanding reservation in jobs and educational institutes, that had resulted in 10 deaths.
According to experts, the polarisation that has arisen as a consequence of the Jat versus non-Jat divide, helps the ruling party.
“The reservation stir in 2016 did manage to create a gap between the Jats and non-Jats. Polarisation still exists in certain urban areas which will actually benefit the ruling party.”Khazan Singh Sangwan, Head, Sociology Department (MDU Rohtak)
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