UP/Bihar migration to Maharashtra causing resentment

Society Pakistan & World Affairs
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UP/Bihar migration to Maharashtra causing resentment among local Maharashtrian population and politicians are taking advantage of the situation. This is going to be a big problem in India in coming years.

Violence by MNS in Maharashtra and other sporadic incidents in Bangalore and Punjab are only symptoms of a huge problem that India will need to face in the coming years. Like most of the mainstream media, you have chosen to condemn MNS and it’s activities without trying to get down to the root cause:

Population growth in UP and Bihar have reached extreme proportions. For most of southern states and Maharashtra, Total Fertility Rate (TFR) has almost reached the replacement level of 2.3. Note that due to skewed Male/Female ratio, TFR of 2.3 is sufficient to achieve long term stability of population. This ratio for UP and Bihar is more than 4.0! Population for these two states is increasing at the rate of 2.8%, inspite of migration. If migration is taken into account, population increase in these state will certainly be at 3.2%. This rate of increase implies a population doubling time of about 22 years! IMO, this is a conservative estimate. According to 2001 census, combined population for UP, Bihar, and Jharkhand stood at 27 Crore. Based on the population growth rate, it is very likely to cross 50 Crore by 2025, and another doubling by 2050! Even today, poverty in these states has reached an extreme level and most human development indicators can be compared only with sub-Saharan Africa. All this was caused by extremely bad governance over the past 2 decades and more. It is unfortunate that some of the people responsible for this are now a part of Central Goverment and lecture around the world on turning around corporations. The resource crunch casued by population explosion and bad governance is causing UP and Bihari youngsters to migrate to wealthier states in southern and western parts of India. Their populations in some districts are reaching a critical mass, and are able to command political influence. Apart from the jobs that are taken away by these migrants, there is also a clash between local and migrant cultures. Unlike migration from other states, this migration possibly has grave repercussions in the future since no end to the migration is in sight. There is a threat that local cultures will become a minority in a decade in at least a few districts.

While constitution of India allows any citizen to move to any state, it also expects the migrants to respect and assimilate with local culture. AFAIK, this is specifically mentioned by Dr. Ambedkar while framing the constitution. The existing and projected migration due to exponential population growth is clearly a threat to the rights of the locals. Generally, I would support migration not only between states but among countries, as long as certain rights of local population are respected. Indian constitution is idealistics when it allows citizens to move to any state for any reason. However, this assumes a certain parity in the development of individual states. In the current scenario, southern and westerns state have advanced well while UP, Bihar etc. are way behind. This could well undermine the unity of Indian Union unless immediate corrective action is taken. Note that population growth is an exponential function and once the growth is in the ‘hockey stick’ part of the curve, there is very little time left! IMO, it will be easier to change the constitution as compared to curbing population growth in UP and Bihar!

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“I can understand what he is trying to tap into…I can understand the reason why he is succeeding to the extent he is. He may have tapped into something very real,” De said in an interview to a TV programme.

“In fact it is everybody else first and Maharashtra last. I don’t blame everybody else and I don’t look on them as outsiders. I think Maharashtrians need to do a great deal of inner looking and thinking to figure out themselves why the city’s complexion has changed,” she said

Backing Raj Thackarey, the noted author said, “he has a right to speak what he wants to and the same right to challenge and oppose”.

Even while asserting that Thackarey was being political, she said “it seems that it is only in Maharshtra that Marathi people seem to be the last to get the jobs”.

“I am definitely saying that Maharashtrians have got a raw deal, which does not mean that I am in any way supporting violence and endorsing what Raj Thackarey stands for. Raw deal also has a lot to do with the Maharashtrian way of not asserting themselves.”

“They are too laid back and there is a lot of intellectual arrogance. Maharashtrians are not assertive enough at all,” De said.

Shobha De comes forward to support Marathi cause- ET Cetera-News By Industry-News-The Economic Times

Espresso Lahore protest
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Re: UP/Bihar migration to Maharashtra causing resentment

UP/Bihar created problems in Pakistan and now India ifself???

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Too much population, Too much illiteracy, Horrible Politicians in UP and Bihar, No Jobs, No development.

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Political problems yes. With the passage of time as long as they continue taking part in national politics things are going to improve. BTW economically and socially I feel the people from UP or Bihar are very much well off and integrated in Paksitan.

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How ironic. In Pakistan they're resented for being too educated, too wealthy, too influential...and in India they're considered useless hillbillies.

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I think its no longer the case. Thanks to MQM and its policies, majority of them are uneducated, living under poverty and some of them involved in crimes. Last 20 years has seen a sharp decline for them.

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Re: UP/Bihar migration to Maharashtra causing resentment

^
There's a reason why to this day Karachi, with its 80% literacy, is the most educated city/district in Pakistan.

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In fact literacy rate in Rawalpindi is more than 85 percent and in Islamabad even higher. In Lahore and many north Punjab districts the literacy rate is more than 70 percent.

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Re: UP/Bihar migration to Maharashtra causing resentment

^
As of August, 2007 Karachi is the most literate city in Pakistan:
The Indonesian Embassy, Islamabad Pakistan - Karachi tops list of most literate districts

With the not particularly wealthy, Mohajir-dominated township of North Nazimabad topping out the nation with its 90%+ literacy rate:
Town Profile

Even the E. Pakistani “Bihari” refugee dominated slums of Orangi boast nearly 80% literacy.

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Give them opportunity and Education, and let them become a contributing part of shining India. :k:

True democracies welcome people of all backgrounds, allowing them to thrive and become a part of the “melting pot”. :slight_smile:

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Another reason for resentment is folks from UP/Bihar dont learn the culture and language of the state they settle in. They expect everyone to speak Hindi with them. True, Bollywood is popular all over the country , this doesnt mean everyone in India will accept Hindi at the expense of mother tongue.

One other reason is that because of Hindi, people from Bihar and UP have an advantage in Central jobs like Railways, Central Government etc. These employe a large number of people and are dominated by UP/Bihar folks.

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Well this is off topic discussion. In fact literacy rate is quite high in the cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi. Please follow the link below.
Rawalpindi - Facts, Encyclopedia Article, and Discussion Forum

District wise literacy rate is bit lower.

http://www.cssforum.com.pk/css-compulsory-subjects/pakistan-affairs/8805-literacy-rate-pakistan-district-wise.html

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There was letter in DAWN on this

A distressed society

Kuldip Nayar (Oct 24) speaks of goonda raj in Mumbai by Raj Thakare who has started agitation against North Indian migrants (whose number runs into millions in the city).

I would like to ask him, who will end decades of goonda raj in Bihar which is the main source of trouble?

The politicians and bureaucrats running the government there refuse to provide infrastructure and security for industries to come to Bihar and to provide job opportunities to its youths. For decades it has been taken for granted that, in Bihar, lawlessness, extortion and caste killings will continue while Bihari millions will take refuge in the Maharashtra state for jobs.

With time and with numbers, UPians/Biharis in Maharashtra have become more aggressive and possessive of Maharashtra. When their vested interest in Mumbai seems threatened, Hindi-dominated Indian TV channels have adopted methods that would have put Gobbels to shame and are demonising Raj for token violence against Bihari students appearing for railway examinations.

Their incessant hate campaign has resulted in violent reactions in Bihar by students there in the name of ‘Bihari asmita’ (Bihari pride) asking for death for Raj Thakare and Bal Thakare for stopping their job opportunities in Maharashtra. ‘Asmita’ should be about making one’s own home beautiful, not infiltrating into someone else’s home.

Cities such as Dubai and Sharjah have sprung up in the mist of desert in a matter of three decades giving opportunities to millions of Indians. There is no reason why UP/Bihar cannot develop modern cities and opportunities like IT, BPO, TV industries.

They have land, water, and other resources besides they have talent, skills and hard-working labour.

They refuse to change because they want to keep mediaeval, agrarian and feudal order in tact.

The feudal lords have purposely kept law and order and infrastructure poor in their states. Their rulers and bureaucrats swindle developmental funds and launder their loot in states like Maharashtra while jobless millions migrate. In Mumbai they occupy open lands, roadsides, countrysides and hills to set up slums. This is nothing else but thieving.

The Indian Constitution gives right to settle anywhere but not right to rob, I suppose. Millions live and multiply in filth and squalor, and the state government gives them free houses, many of them in the name of slum redevelopment. This acts as an incentive for more Biharis to come to Mumbai but demoralises local police who cannot aspire for a house in their lifetime.

There is an evil plot by UPians/Biharis-dominated centre to exploit Maharashtra’s land, infrastructure and resources for the benefit of north Indians. The north Indian-dominated centre is now floating satanic schemes such as Special Economic Zones (SEZs), for speedy exploitation of Maharashtra, keeping their own states unchanged.

The IHRC should consider such organised migration as silent terrorism against Maharasthra and intervene. I wish Raj had adopted a non-violent method like stopping all trains going to UP/Bihar, until locals were given proper representation in the railway and other central government jobs and until UP/Bihari politicians understood the true meaning of democracy. He can still do so for the benefit of both, Maharashtrians and Biharis, and for the benefit of intellectuals like Kuldip Nayar who can then sleep undisturbed in their ivory towers.

A MAHARASHTRIAN
India

DAWN - Letters; November 02, 2008

Haton mey tera haath bhi ho
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Re: UP/Bihar migration to Maharashtra causing resentment

I completily agree what Kuldip Nayar has said

Hindi News Channels are bull****

how can they condemn Rahul Raj's killing a mad man taking a bus hostage with a trigger happy hand

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Re: UP/Bihar migration to Maharashtra causing resentment

I think

a) both Rajs were talking things extreme
b) Mumbai is a cosmopolitian city
c) regionalism has no place in India
d) Thackarey is a moron
e) Rahul was implusive
f) Biharis shouldnt start this Bihari Asmita, like the gujjus did. Gujarat is miles ahead.
g) Biharis should try to bring more education and employment oppurtunities to their state
h) Family planning put into serious use in Bihar and realisation that there are more kinda jobs than labour and railways
i) Marathis should not feel threatned because most Biharis in MH just do low-wage jobs while most natives have the high-paying jobs
j) All Mumbaikars should try to maintain Mumbai's secular and cosmopolitian nature intact.

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Re: UP/Bihar migration to Maharashtra causing resentment

Railways are jobs mostly filled by UP and Biharis. Now the Railways exam will be in Marathi.

Playing the Maharashtrian card, Chief Minister Ashok Chavan today said people domiciled in the state should be given local employment opportunity first.

"Locals must be given importance. Whoever is a domicile of Maharashtra must first get an employment opportunity

irrespective of the language the people of Maharashtra speak or the belief they follow", Chavan said while urging Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee to keep this in mind in railway recruitment. However, he said his government does not support agitations based on language and region. “It is not our policy.”

Now, Maharashtra CM asks railways to recruit locals- Hindustan Times

His remarks come against the backdrop of MNS launching a “Marathi manoos” campaign and assault on candidates from North India appearing in railway exams in Maharashtra.
Banerjee, for her part, said railway recruitment exams will be conducted in regional languages simultaneously with English and Hindi. In Maharashtra, the exams will be held in Marathi and in other states, these will be held in local
languages," she told reporters.

ISI financed the Aamir Khan's "PK" film - Subramanian Swamy
ISI financed the Aamir Khan's "PK" film - Subramanian Swamy