Voters don’t demand good governance
My travels this election season took me to Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh (UP). It is, like most chaotic north Indian cities, replete with dust, smoke, potholed roads and traffic jams. But there was no talk of poor governance or the effect of the pandemic on those working in the brass industry and handicrafts. The city is renowned for both. It is an identity that the city should be proud of, but no one seemed to care
Suddenly, the steel city of Jamshedpur came to my mind. Established in 1907 by Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata, it is surrounded by plateaus, forests and the banks of the Suvarnarekha. Moradabad is almost as old as Jamshedpur. Does it take a vision like Jamsetji’s to develop a thriving city or can it be based on the growth of local industry?
Take Bhilai or Bokaro built as settlements by the government. Despite the interference from public representatives, they retain their core spirit. There are examples where, thanks to political will, old shambolic cities have been reinvented beautifully. Varanasi is one such city in the same state. Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi chose Kashi as his constituency. But in the last seven years, this oldest of cities has changed dramatically. Similarly, chief minister (CM) Yogi Adityanath groomed Gorakhpur. Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Mulayam Singh Yadav did the same for Etawah. When these cities started changing, it became an organic process. A lot of demolition work was undertaken to build the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor, but it was done in a smooth and coordinated manner. The results are there for all to see. The lesson from Kashi is that it is important to take people into confidence in such projects. There has been no attempt whatsoever to do any such thing in Moradabad.
It is said that in a democracy, people get the rulers they deserve. While walking through the streets of Moradabad, I found no public resentment about the apathy shown to the city. People are busy with the issues of religion and caste. However, they are emphatic that there are more than 2,500 brass factories in Moradabad, which export their produce globally. There are also 39,000 small- and medium-scale factories employing 300,000 people. About 400,000 people are directly involved in the manufacturing and export of handicrafts. These numbers represent about 50% of the city’s populace.
The pandemic has affected those working in these industries and their families. Before Covid-19, there was an annual export of ₹9,000 crore from this city. Today, that figure stands at around of ₹7,000 crore. Domestic business related to the brass industry is worth about of ₹6,000 crore. Why do elected representatives from here not raise this issue of the faltering industries in Parliament or the assembly? Because brass, handicrafts and the plight of these industries are not elections issues here.
Products from Moradabad accounted for 44% of India’s total handicraft exports in the financial year 2020-21. In all of UP, this figure stands at 64%. The state government also announced relief for the brass industry under the One District One Product scheme. But decades of neglect cannot be reversed in a few years.
While traversing the villages, streets, and localities of Uttarakhand and UP, I noticed that the construction of new highways and bypasses widened the class divide. With the expansion of cities, the well-off have chosen to opt for new housing colonies. Those left behind now get a minuscule share in development. For the local administration, they are far behind in the list of priorities. When many in the bureaucracy and elected representatives have become partners with the building mafia, what can one expect?
Workers and their old craft were the first victims of all this. Moradabad’s brass industry is still somewhat lucrative. But, the handloom of Meerut, the zari of Bareilly, the locks made in Aligarh, the petha of Agra, and other traditional local industries, are in trouble. Many lives depend on these industries. They are vote banks, but no one talks about them. I wondered why.
Perhaps, as a nation, we are, by and large, uncomplaining. During this visit, I met those who became unemployed during the pandemic and were forced to leave their place and craft. They are unhappy, but did not want to veer away from religion and caste while voting. They know that elections are the key to change, but they are reluctant to use their power to effect that change.
This is a boon for political leaders. Instead of producing evidence of good governance, they are easily able to sway people with their often less-than-truthful promises and slogans. In short, the people have opted for a life of difficulty in order to smoothen the path for their representatives. I have asked why many times, and each time, the best I have got are confused answers or silence. When will this unhealthy trend end?