Addressing a gathering of
hundreds of migrants at Laxmi Nagar in Delhi, noted author and social worker
Dr. Birbal Jha said, “The recent attacks on Bihari migrants in Gujarat, the
land of Bapu, known for non-violence, is a blot on the democratic structure and
values of the country and such a violence and hatred towards any community in
the country of billions must be dealt with iron hand. The hands and masterminds
behind such anti-social and anti-national acts must be identified, prosecuted
under the appropriate law in place and punished for the sake of national
integrity. Those guilty of sabotaging the social fabric and taking undue
advantage of the situation for their personal gains, must not go scot-free.”
“Safety, security and the
rights of mobility of citizens from one place to another in the country
enshrined in the constitution of India must be ensured. It is obligatory for
the government in place to ensure that every citizen has the freedom to move
freely throughout the country, reside and settle in any part of the country and
also practice any valid profession or to carry on any occupation, trade or
business”, added Dr. Jha, Chairman of Mithilalok Foundation, a non-governmental
organization based in New Delhi, working for socio-economic and cultural
development in the country.
“Bihari migrant workers
are a workforce to reckon with as they play a big role in raising local economy
and industrial growth, adding value to the place they move and relocate in
search of jobs in order to eke out their livelihood. Many of human
resource-based industry will instantly collapse and see the shut-down in the
case of destabilizing them outside their home state, where they work. We
always take pride in asserting that India is one and a union territory as
well mentioned in the constitution, why is there such a discrimination with
people from north India?”, thundered Dr. Jha, who has been working for Bihari
migrants for last twenty-five years with his social enterprise British Lingua
providing a platform for skills development.
The cultural
activist Dr. Jha, known as Paagman, further demanded from the government a
full-stop on attacks on Bihari migrant workers spread in different pockets all
across the country in the interest of unity, integrity, and well-being of the
nation. Moreover, he appealed to the people in common and Bihari brethren not
to take law and order in their hands and maintain brotherhood and sisterhood.
---- Subramanian
