RSS affiliates sound cautionary note to Centre

Ravi S Singh

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 7

At a time when the Government of Indian is mulling on ways to entice foreign companies that are seeking to either shift or broad-base their operations out of China in the post-corona world, some of the RSS constituents have sounded a cautionary note.

RSS affiliate Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) has asked the government to desist from “anti-worker amendments” in labour laws to facilitate shifting of companies from China or other countries to India.

“China is notorious for not having democracy and no respect for human rights, labour law protection, active trade unions…,” was a view point put forth before Union Labour Minister Santosh Kumar Gangwar during his video conference with the representatives of central trade unions on Wednesday.

“India cannot be a good substitute for such undemocratic characteristics in the mad run to provide cheap labour,” BMS president Saji Narayanan told Gangwar. 

The meeting was organised to discuss labour related issues in the context of the enforced lockdown due to COVID-19 pandemic.

Another RSS affiliate, Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM), backed the BMS.

Swadeshi Jagran Manch saw merit in BMS’ stand to bulwark the prospects of country's labour force and companies against the foreign firms.

The foreign companies should not see incentive to set up base in India with an eye on cheap labour, pointed the SJM.

Swadeshi Jagran Manch, which has been at crossed roads with BJP-led regime on several occasions in the past, wanted the government to impose additional conditions on the prospective companies from abroad.

“They must not see India only as a market but export 50 per cent of their manufactured goods as they have been doing in China,” said SJM national co-convenor Dr Ashwani Mahajan.

The SJM also wants the foreign companies to source their production on country's domestic contents and material as inputs. For example, in automobile sector, the companies must use only the ancillary goods manufactured in India.

Reports suggest that the Centre is working on a package to attract companies from countries like the USA, Japan and Korea, which are trying to shift base from China to hedge their security in the backdrop of the corona contagion.