On Rahul Gandhi’s interaction with salt workers in Gujarat

Ahmedabad, 11 March 2014

Rahul Gandhi’s interaction session with salt workers was good. Thanks to its live coverage, we sitting at home could in great detail,

listen to the issues salt workers face.

But timing of Rahul’s visit to salt workers suggests, it’s just politics.

We watched almost entire interaction through various news channels and could confirm that most of problems of salt workers were related to the centre. The question is, Congress-led UPA government is in power for last ten years in Delhi, but who from centre came to give ear to salt workers in all these years? Why problems of salt workers just remained unsolved all these years? Why Rahul with video cameras and live feed took interest only when Congress-led UPA government’s second term is nearly over, the elections are around and he is on campaign tour? It should be mentioned here that Rahul’s interaction was captured by giant video cameras that we otherwise find only at Bollywood film shoots or Doordarshan studio. Congress party was airing live feed of interaction and various TV channels were sourcing and using it.

Some of the moments of Rahul’s “Bina Chai Charcha” session with salt workers were interesting. One salt worker in Gujarati language told Rahul that people here didn’t have any adhar(validity, authorization or license) to work! Suddenly we saw spark on Rahul’s face. That’s because he thought the villager was speaking about central government’s Adhar scheme. The salt worker actually was completely unaware about Adhar scheme! He was using the word ‘Adhar’ for authorization or license.

Rahul during his campaign relies speaks about ‘Right to food’, ‘Right to education’ and other Right based initiatives taken by UPA govt, but during the interaction with salt workers, he realized that just passing laws sitting in Delhi was not enough. Salt workers told Rahul that they didn’t even know about something called ‘Right to food’! Salt workers told Rahul that MNREGA payments were not received and the scheme was non-functional for last many years! On ‘Right to education’ Rahul came to know that the students here were not going to school beyond seventh standard. One student complained Rahul about lack of hostel and literally cried.

It seems Rahul’s aide Madhusudan Mistry(former OXFAM field officer) has totally Oxfamised him and made him limited to the ideas, language and approach of international NGOs! Right based approach is not product of Mahatma Gandhi or Jawaharlal Nehru or Indira or Rajiv Gandhi’s Congress. It is the product of left-leaning foreign NGOs. And Rahul it seems is obsessed with this right based approach!

So when poor salt workers were simply demanding solution to their problems pertaining to Hindustan Salt Works(central govt run company), Rahul wanted interpreter to inform salt workers about right-to-this and right-to-that laws centre had passed. He particularly pushed ‘Right to information’.

Now why a poor salt workers would be interested in ‘Right to information’? Salt workers were simply demanding a new salt water channel connecting Kharaghoda Rann to Suraj bari bridge area. They were demanding license to work on particular land(which is not possible because its sanctuary area), they were demanding compensation from government during calamities, they were demanding aide to purchase solar equipments, they were seeking housing, they were seeking hostel for students at Kharaghoda, they were pleading to reverse the decision to abolish existing railway line. But from Rahul’s side they didn’t get any assurance on any of the issues represented.

Rahul should seek feedback through his own resources. What we learn is that Rahul’s visit fails to generate any hope among these poor but hard working people. Salt workers at the end of the day don’t feel their life may change following today’s interaction. Rahul could come before two years or three, four, five or six years and actually could solve the issues through his government.