A growing agitation in Punjab is targeting both migrants and street vendors from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Jharkhand, with local village panchayats passing resolutions to restrict them from buying land or even operating in their areas. The actions come amidst a recent increase in anti-migrant sentiment in the state.
The panchayats are justifying the resolution by citing the recent killing of a 5-year-old boy in Hoshiarpur, allegedly by someone from another state.
At least 27 panchayats in Hoshiarpur, including Bajwara, Chak Sadhu, Singhpur, Bassi Bahian, and Bilaspur, resolved to stop issuing residence verification certificates to migrants lacking Punjab-issued identity documents.
The panchayats have also asked the migrants to vacate the state within a week. On September 13, sarpanches from 27 villages held a joint meeting in Bajwara and submitted a request to Deputy Commissioner Aashika Jain for administrative support.
Shockingly, the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Sidhu Pur) also supported the moves, alleging that migrants from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar disrupt local social harmony. Jasvir Singh, a member of the Kisan Union, alleged that migrants from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are disturbing the social environment of villages, saying the restrictions were necessary.
Notably, the village panchayats of Kattu in Barnala and Gehri Bhagi in Bathinda have also passed resolutions to prevent people from other states from purchasing residential or agricultural property. The Kattu village resolution goes a step further, stating that no voter cards will be issued to migrants at a village address and that new arrivals will undergo police verification.
Notably, opposition against migrants among the locals is also on the rise. Several incidents have been reported in Bathinda district and city, where residents have told street vendors directly to stop selling their wares.
Several migrants have already started heading home, which in turn has caused panic among the farmers and traders who rely heavily on them for their day-to-day work.
Five rules have been announced by the Panchayat
- Ban on Land Purchase: Migrant labourers cannot buy houses or land in the village.
- No Voter ID or Aadhaar on Village Address: Migrant workers will not be allowed to register Aadhaar or voter cards on the village address.
- Restricted Stay: Migrants can only stay at tube wells or farm huts, not within the village residential areas and only in limited numbers.
- Responsibility of the Farm owner: The farmer who employs migrant labourers will be fully responsible for them.
- Mandatory Police Verification: All migrant workers entering the village must undergo police verification.
Meanwhile, industrialists in Punjab have urged Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to intervene amid rising tensions between local residents and migrant workers, particularly those from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, warning that any exodus of labour could shake the state’s economy.
In a letter to Chief Minister, Badish Jindal, a Ludhiana-based industrialist and president of the World MSME Forum, said that over 18 lakh migrant workers form the “backbone of Punjab’s industries, farms, shops, and households.”
“Today, 80 per cent of unskilled labourers in the industries of Punjab are migrants. In Ludhiana alone, around 8 lakh migrant workers are employed in factories. They also carry out most of the sowing and harvesting work in agriculture. Punjab’s economy is progressing because of their contribution,” Jindal wrote.
Jindal said that, if migrant workers are forced out of the State, industries and businesses will come to a standstill. “This is a conspiracy to destroy Punjab. India is a federal country, and no state can expel citizens of other states,” he added.
He further urged the Bhagwant Mann-led AAP Government to strictly discourage anti-migrant sentiments.
TR Mishra, another Ludhiana-based industrialist and chairman of the Poorvanchal Vikas Parishad, said, “I came from Uttar Pradesh to Punjab in my teens during the 1960s, laboured hard as a worker, and today I am an industrialist. I have also helped many entrepreneurs set up their units. So, I feel the fight should be against crime, not against people of one or two states.”
The State Government has, meanwhile, warned the people against taking discriminatory steps. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann condemned the Hoshiarpur incident but also said that all Indians have the right to live and work anywhere in the country.
Referring to people of Punjab working across the country, he said, Punjabis have businesses in Raipur and most transporters in Kolkata are from Punjab. “Tomorrow they can say send them out. There cannot be discrimination.”
Notably, legal experts have also flagged the panchayat resolutions as unconstitutional.
