- Monday, April 29, 2024
In a recent statement, Modi said he would take “bug decisions” to make significant strides in poverty alleviation and economic advancement if he secures another term.
By: Shubham Ghosh
IF Indian prime minister Narendra Modi secures victory in the upcoming general elections, as widely anticipated, he may prioritise implementing the labour reforms passed by parliament in 2020, a spokesperson of his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has indicated.
Opinion polls have suggested that the BJP is likely to secure a comfortable victory in the forthcoming election scheduled by May, while the opposition alliance faces challenges in maintaining cohesion.
In a recent statement, Modi said he would take “bug decisions” to make significant strides in poverty alleviation and economic advancement if he secures another term. However, he did not delve into specifics regarding these proposed actions.
Read: India cops fire tear gas as thousands of protesting farmers march towards Delhi
Modi has also expressed confidence that India will ascend to become the world’s third-largest economy, moving up from its current fifth position, if he gets his third straight term. Despite the approval of new labour codes by both Houses of the Indian parliament in 2020, their implementation has been delayed due to opposition from worker unions that oppose the provisions facilitating easier hiring and firing, as well as the restrictions on trade unions.
The Modi government contends that consolidating 29 disparate laws into four labour codes will ensure that all of India’s more than 500 million workers receive a minimum wage, with a significant section also benefiting from social security measures.
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“Labour codes need to be notified. It’s necessary, we will do it,” BJP spokesperson Gopal Krishna Agarwal said, indicating the government’s commitment to carrying out the implementation process, Reuters reported.
“Continuous reforms are required to become an economic power and assume global leadership.”
However, the unions were far from convinced. Harbhajan Singh, general secretary of Hind Mazdoor Sabha trade union, said it would protest if there is any attempt to make the country’s labor laws “pro-employer instead of pro-labour”.
“We realise that they are waiting for the elections to get over to implement these,” he was quoted as saying by Reuters.
“But we will hold nationwide protests in the coming days against the government’s anti-labour policies.”
Singh said similar protests were staged by the farmers in the past that had forced the Modi government to repeal three laws that aimed to deregulate India’s agricultural markets.
Agarwal said bilateral trade deals with countries would be another focus if Modi wins his third consecutive term.
(With agency inputs)
