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Gurgaon violence More than just a riot
There are simply too many sides to the ugly developments in Gurgaon for any of the simplistic charges being levelled to “stick”. And it would be an oversimplification to write it off as a localised clash between factory workers and police — its impact on foreign investment in industrial activity cannot be overlooked. The Left parties, it was one of their trade unions that led the protest against the retrenchment of some workers, are trying to portray it as a classical case of filthy multinationals exploiting downtrodden third world labour. Accusing the police of functioning as the MNC’s agent to boot. Just the recipe to deter the inflow of foreign capital, maybe calculated to do just that for the path to prosperity somehow also means the end of the road for their brand of trade unionism. That a going concern with an investment of more than Rs 600 crore now stands crippled, with production all but stopped, is not our comrades’ concern, but it should be the concern of all who are anxious that a boom town does not go bust. For the violence levels would deter investors, irrespective of nationality.
Clearly the inability of the local labour department to satisfactorily deal with the initial dispute is one of the causes. In the new economic climate old-fashioned remedies will not work and the mechanism to deal with such situations is in urgent need of a makeover. The Japanese principal of the unit in trouble has thus far decided to remain aloof, but surely it will soon start having reservations. It is also rather obvious that it was no simple workers’ protest, for the attack on police and administration officials and the damage to their vehicles suggests a larger game plan — surely we will soon be told that it were “outsiders” who spearheaded the violence. All the more reason for anxiety. The police, make no mistake about it, went berserk. Even if they had been at the receiving end during the initial forays there was no justification for what followed and the senior leadership is guilty of failing to exercise due authority over the mob-like constabulary. Heads must immediately roll, probes can follow. What was flashed on television debunked all claims of a civilised civil administration. The tragedy is not to be calculated in terms of casualties, production losses, or which trade union finds increased favour with the work force. What has been shattered is the image of the country as a sound investment choice where manufacturing industry flourishes.
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