Whom 'chi' Mumbai?
(Feb 5th, 2010)
Let us start with Mumbai story. During the last few days, everyone right from Mr. Rahul Gandhi
to any rank Netaji have been saying, "Mumbai sabki hai"(Mumbai belongs to everyone). Whereas the slogan
politicians are giving to Marathas is 'Amchi Mumbai'.
I ask a question from all of them: If you really mean what you say, have you really addressed the
issue in it's true context, about what is 'killing' Mumbai? Migrant labour flooding the already choked city
day in and day out is doing no favour to Mumbai. Mr. Gandhi says that Biharis have developed
Mumbai. I say that Mumbai in the first place would not need this much 'development', had
not millions from Bihar not flooded it. this is not Mumbai's problem only. This is
the problem of every Mega city of India. This is a very genuine and severe problem of Mumbai and needs to be addressed
soon by all those powerful and all those who say 'Mumbai sabki hai' or all those who shout with fervour 'Amchi Mumbai!'
As is obvious in case of our polity, this too has become a hot topic to garner votes. Those who want Marathi
votes say that they are all powerful to thrash out those 'outsiders' from 'Amchi Mumbai' and those
who want votes in UP-Bihar raise the papers showing the constitution of India in hands and say, "look, we are right...
Mumbai belongs to all!"This is where we have to stike a balance between our rights and our duties.
Here I tell you an ancient story. A vampire in the guise of a woman stole the little
child of a lady to eat him. She was caught and the matter went to king's court. As both the ladies were claiming the child, it was
very difficult to decide for the king as to whose child that was. Obviously he knew that one of them was the vampire.
He thought of a trick. He ordered, "As it is difficult to decide the motherhood, we shall cut the child into
2 pieces and give them each a piece.
The vampire was happy that at least she is getting something to eat. She readily agreed. But as the mother
really didn't know that the other woman was a vampire, she started crying and begging from the king that
she is ready to part with her child but he should not be killed. "Give the child to the other woman. At least
he will live. So the king came to know who the real mother was.
In case of Mumbai too, let us once and for all leave the immediate problem as it is and do not try to solve it ad-hoc.
Those who really love Mumbai and say that the whole country belongs to all of us, should try and educate
the people flooding Mumbai that they have better options at home. "Who wants to leave home with pleasure?"
This sentence holds good in every era. Try and build the required infrastructure, employment oportunuties
and bring wealth and investment in states like UP and Bihar so that no one has to leave his home for a small thing
like daily labour! In this context I may add further that without improving law and order in these 2 states,
this may well be a distant dream. No businessman wants to pay 'rangdaari tax' to goons or loves getting
kidnapped for ransom.
Ironically, those people in whose 'Raj' Bihar became bankrupt
and the outwart migration broke all records, have been shouting from rooftops about biharis' 'rights'
to migrate and earn a livelihood in every part of India. They challenge their opponents to
try and stop their chhatth 'pooja' at chaupati; a "celebration and show of strength" at chaupati that
can be termed anything except a 'pooja'. Politics in our country has really stooped to new lows.
So the next time whoever talks of 'keeping alive' the child, consider only her to be the
mother. Address the real problem. And the real problem is something else too. If we
really want to achieve anything long term, we have to address the core problem, the real
problem of our country; the population....the ever-increasing population. So who is responsible for it and
whose duty it is to control it...I shall discuss in my next article.
(By Jyoti Narula)
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