Tide of Islam flooding Punjab with Indian Muslims...

[Guest Punjabi Nationalist]

The threat these migrants have brought to the cultural fabric of Punjab in terms of a racial, linguistic and cultural imbalance is actually more serious now with the threat posed by the re-arrival of Islam in the state.

Since 1947 East Punjab has been almost Islam-free since all the Punjabi Muslims left for Pakistan. Not anymore. Islam is back in Punjab and is growing with the arrival of Indian Muslims...

What can be done to stop the tide of Islam and Indian migration into Punjab and combat the negative changes that have already been brought into our motherland?

BTW, this article is no joke. I have seen for myself in my own pind (on this side of Punjab) which is only 20km away from the border with Pakistan that there are Bihari Hindus and Muslims living there. Roughly 200 families infact...

If migrants are found only 20km away from the international border, they are obviously found everywhere else in the state.

The article also confirms my suspicion that Ludhiana (town) probably has more Indian migrants living there than Punjabis. When i visited Ludhiana it sure looked that way...

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The migrant effect on Punjabi society

Dalits lose jobs; social tension brewing

by K.S. Chawla

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2003/20031223/edit.htm#7

- Migrants charge less than local labourers. — Photo by Pawan Sharma

THE demographic complexion of Punjab has changed sharply in the recent years with the influx of migrants from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, besides Nepal.

No doubt the influx of a large number of migrants has stablised the agricultural economy and boosted industrial and commercial activities in the border state, this has also resulted in social tension among the various segments of the Punjabi society.

The influx started in the 1970s following the Green Revolution. There was a shortage of labour for agricultural operations then. The migrant labour was cheaper to hire than the local labour. The migrants used to come in thousands initially and their influx was seasonal. They would return to their native states after earning good wages during the kharif and rabi seasons.

Of late they have started settling down in the rural areas as well as in towns where they are engaged in factories and commercial units. The migrants picked up different jobs in the urban areas. They particularly dominate construction-related works. As a matter of fact, they have monopolised some jobs statewise. For example, Orissa labourers are known for their skill in the sanitation and allied works. Rajasthani migrants are engaged in the brick-kiln industry, besides road making and repairing. They are engaged by contractors of the PWD (B and R).

There are different estimates about the presence of migrants in Punjab. According to Dr Joginder Singh, Professor and Head, Department of Economics of Punjab Agricultural University, there are about 22 lakh migrants in Punjab. About 80 per cent of them have now settled in the state.

Some experts estimate that the number of migrants in Punjab is more than 30 lakh. However, the Punjab Government has not got any survey done as officials argue that this is a transitory labour and it is difficult to keep the records.

These migrants have brought with them many problems and perhaps the foremost is the health hazard. Some of the studies have revealed that they largely suffer from TB, cancer and abdominal ailments.

The urban scenario in Punjab has changed which has brought the Department of Local Bodies and the urban development authorities under pressure to tackle the problem of housing for them. Jhuggi-jhompri settlers have become a permanent feature of Punjab.

The Dalits strongly feel that with the coming of the migrants, their relationship with the Jats has suffered. The Dalits had been providing all sorts of help to the Jats in agriculture and also meeting their household needs.

The Jat-â€seeri†(share cropper) relationship has had some sanctity in the Punjabi society and the Jat usually operated through his “seeri†even in criminal acts.

It cannot be denied that Dalits have improved their economic lot with the help of Jats, who while going abroad, took along Dalits also. This has brought prosperity to Doaba Dalits.

Now the social tension between Jats and Dalits has started surfacing. Doaba witnessed it recently in the shape of violence at Talhan in Jalandhar district. Some other districts of Punjab have also faced similar problems.

The Dalit, who now treats the “bhaiyya†— the migrant — as his rival, is fighting for his traditional privileged position. This explains why the Punjab labour — whether Jat or Dalit — is engaged at higher rates than migrants.

Dr Joginder Singh explains that the arrival of migrants in the rural as well as urban areas has depressed the wages. They have also brought with them social evils like drug-addiction. Local youths have also started taking “gutka†and “jardaâ€.

During a study of social unrest among labourers in the rural areas, Dr Joginder Singh says, they found resentment among Dalits in particular over the fact that the migrants have snatched their rights of sharing crops with Jats.

With their permanent settlement in the rural areas, the migrants prefer to work on contract. On an average, a migrant earns between Rs 80 and 90 per day. Some of the migrant leaders have become contractors and are making good profits from such deals.

The migrants are also allegedly indulging in various crimes, including robbery and murder, according to district police officials.

However, Mr A.A. Siddiqui, Director-General of Punjab Police, does not agree. He maintains that those who come for “roti-rozee†do not indulge in criminal activities. They keep themselves busy in their daily wage earning, he says.

At the same time, Mr Siddiqui admits that gangs of criminals come from states like Bihar and UP. After committing crime, they go back to their homes.

Another important development with regard to the migrants in Punjab is that a sizeable number of Muslims have settled in the state. They have come from UP and Bihar. A majority of them are artisans and skilled workers. They have brought with them the dominant Muslim social order.

The Muslim community has started setting up “madrasas†in Punjab. Teaching in Arabic, Persian and Urdu is imparted to students in these schools, says Maulana Ateeq-ur-Rehman, President, Indian Muslim Council, Punjab.

Maulana Ateeq-ur-Rehman is a resident of Ludhiana and his grandfather, Maulana Habib-ul-Rehman, was a great freedom fighter. He says there are 20 lakh Muslims in Punjab. Five lakh of them have settled in Ludhiana alone. The Muslims are mainly tailors, artisans and barbers. They have migrated to Punjab because of poverty in states like Bihar and UP, he maintains.

The Muslims have set up new mosques and some old ones have been renovated. They are also laying claims to some of the mosques with the Wakf Board which have functioned as Hindu-Sikh shrines since Independence.

[Khalistani Singh]

Yeah man, India is messed up. Everyone I know that goes to India, tells me that India is becoming worse and worse. My mom just came back, and she said if I went there, I'd argue with all my cousins. My friend went this summer, he said he ended up arguing with everyone of his cousins. It's embarassing. I started keeping my hair, and when my cousins found out, they were like "Is He Okay?"..."What the hell is wrong with him."...It's funny cause we would think Indian Sikhs would be stronger and etc. But times have changed. Its actually the westernized Sikhs that make the faith stronger. Ignore India, its all bakwas fed by the Indian Gov. They have set up barber shops, bars, and implented opium like crazy. Most of the punjabis there think its cool to speak Hindi. The aftermath of 1984 is still not over. That's why eventually Sikhs need their independent nation. However, the majority of Sikhs in India are dumb. Especially the Jatts that think there living up life and have complete control in the pinds. All they do is smoke, drink, and let the bhaiyya take over. In the pinds it use to be Jattan Da Raj, but now its more like bhaiyya da raj. We need a Sikh Leader to stand up. But till then, India will remain India.

[Guest Punjabi Nationalist]

I agree to some extent with your post.

However, this is not a problem for Sikhs but is a problem for all Punjabis as it is affecting the entire Eastern Punjab. (Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Delhi)

The article above was on Punjab state, now here is one on Haryana:

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Bihari labourers arrive by hundreds from Assam

Raman Mohan

Tribune News Service

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2003/20031224/main4.htm

Rohtak, December 23

The exodus of Bihari labourers from strife-torn Assam has caused a sudden influx of farm and other labour in Haryana resulting in a significant fall in their wages but evolution of a whole new innovative system of their employment.

Over the recent months, Biharis have been arriving in Haryana by the hundreds. Their favourite destinations are the northern districts of Ambala, Yamunanagar, Panipat, Karnal, Kaithal, Sonepat and Kurukshetra. This is partly because the districts located along the National Highway No 1 are well connected by rail and partly because farming in these areas is lucrative and the labour is paid well.

However, since these districts cannot absorb all Biharis pouring in day after day, their next choice is Hisar, Fatehabad and Sirsa districts. Rohtak, Bhiwani, Jhajjar and the southern districts come last mainly because these districts have smaller holdings and employment potential is lower.

Now that they have the numbers, Biharis have changed their tactics. They prefer to be employed in small groups preferably on adjoining lands or at least in adjoining villages. They also prefer to live at one place together on the outskirts of villages seeking safety in numbers. The other advantage accruing to them from this is that the landowners cannot dare to assault them in case of a dispute.

Perhaps the most important outcome of this show of unity is financial security. Earlier, individual labourers often had their wages confiscated by landowners on one pretext or the other. However, now the Biharis have begun to assert themselves. There have been reports of Biharis assaulting erring landowners and extracting their dues.

Yet, the numbers game is also working against them. There has been a steep fall in their earnings because of competition among themselves. Reports indicate a 10 to 20 per cent decrease in their wages in the recent weeks. The fall in wages is also due to their insistence on being hired in groups. These Biharis prefer contractual employment on farms on a yearly basis rather than seasonal work like harvesting and threshing alone.

Likewise, in road building too, they are edging out the tough Rajasthani labourers whose entire families are engaged in massive projects going on all over Haryana. The quick learners that they are, the Biharis saw an opportunity of group employment in these projects and offered their services at much lower rates. They are now eyeing the cable-laying work also where Andhraites have almost a monopoly.

There has been a sudden change in the construction labour scenario too. Here groups of Biharis have pooled their resources to bag the labour component on a contractual basis. So far, local contractors hired them on a daily-wages basis and got private construction done on contract. The major share thus went to the local contractor. Now, they have chosen their leaders to win the contracts in which they are all share their earnings equally after paying the leader for his supervisory services. This has not only ensured comparatively better earnings, but also the chances of the contractor withholding their earnings are now almost nil.

On the domestic hands front, Biharis no longer shun such employment. Local middle class families are giving them preference over Nepalis following a spate of violent incidents involving Nepali servants who decamped with cash and valuables of their employers after injuring or even murdering them. However, this kind of work is their last choice and generally earmarked for boys in their teens.