Hyderabad, January 18: Political rallies are like the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, except for one difference.
The rallies provide limited employment to the poor, but unlike the MGNREGS, they do not differentiate between the rural poor or the urban poor. Besides this, the rallies also provide a meal apart from the ‘salary’.
While the business community in the city may greet calls for ‘rasta roko’ and rallies to push for a separate Telangana statehood demand with groans, some people like Ramesh, living on the city outskirts rub their hands in glee at the news.
The joy of these people at the news of a rally being conducted stems from the fact that for them it is time to earn an extra buck besides a packet of food.
The constitution of the Justice BN Srikrishna Committee and the preparation of its Report has had the affect of keeping the Telangana agitation off the streets and it was more or less a fight on television channels and party meetings. But with the submission of the Report the agitation will probably spill over on the streets once again.
This will be an opportunity for people like Ramesh earn and others like him are readying themselves to take part in these rallies.
Ramesh is expecting the henchmen of some or the other political parties to come and invite him and his neighbours, who live in the slums in Bhavani Nagar, to take them to participate in a political rally. Ramesh will be given about Rs 150, a packet of food and sachets of water. The transportation would be free, he would be taken to his ‘work place’ and be driven back.
If there is a chance of lathicharge, Ramesh would get even up to Rs 500 per ‘appearance’.
Ramesh told INN that the agents of the political party which wants to hit the headlines approach the slums, and negotiate the price on per head basis.
On the scheduled date, Ramesh and his neighbours, or ‘colleagues-in-arms’ wear the appropriate clothes and embark on the journey in minivans and lorries. The clothes play an important part, Ramesh says. If the rally is to bring the government’s attention to the plight of rain hit farmers, then they have to wear a Kurta and Dhoti, but if the rally is to press the government for providing employment, a shirt and trouser would be advisable.
As soon as the ‘protestors’ board the waiting transport vehicles, they are given the give party material including caps, flags, banners, placards on which the slogans and demands are already written in different languages.
The rally over, the ‘protestors’ are dropped off at their localities, paid and patted for a job well done.
But if a ‘protestor’ is thrashed by the police during a rally, he has to fend for himself. Unless the injuries are serious and the ‘protestor’ needs to be hospitalized, no agent or political party will bother asking the ‘activists’ about their well-being, Ramesh says.
If however a ‘protestor’ gets seriously injured, then he can expect a good ‘package’. The political party behind the rally will see to it that the injury is made an issue and compensation is provided to the injured ‘protestor.’
The activists are generally picked up from slums around the city and its outskirts such as Singareni Colony huts, Bhavani Nagar, Mangalghat and BHEL, Auto Nagar and Kukatpally.
INN