Jammu and Kashmir's Legislative Assembly witnessed a heated debate over the regularization of daily wagers, with the ruling National Conference (NC) and the opposition BJP engaging in a blame game over the hardships faced by these employees.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah announced the formation of a committee, headed by Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo, to devise a roadmap for the regularization of daily-rated workers.
The issue gained momentum a day after police resorted to a lathi charge on daily wagers attempting to march towards the Civil Secretariat. The BJP raised concerns over the delay in their regularization, while NC members countered by accusing the BJP of political hypocrisy and holding them responsible for the police action.
Shouting slogans like "Chor Machaye Shor," NC legislators accused the BJP of ignoring the plight of daily wagers during its tenure. The BJP, which had staged a one-day boycott of the House over the issue, returned with renewed attacks on the government, condemning the police crackdown on protesting Jal Shakti department workers.
NC members pointed out that the BJP, despite being in power, failed to regularize these workers when it had the opportunity. In contrast, BJP legislators demanded immediate regularization and criticized the use of force against the protesters.
CM slams use of force on protesters
Intervening in the debate, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah condemned the police action against the daily wagers.
"The police should not have used force on them when they were peacefully protesting for their demands," Abdullah said while addressing the Assembly. He emphasized that the issue was not just a financial burden but also a humanitarian concern.
"Police are not under our control. Instead of shouting here, you should take this up with Raj Bhawan," he told BJP legislators.
NC leaders further hit back at the opposition, arguing that the BJP had done little for daily wagers during its tenure.
The Assembly session remained chaotic as heated exchanges continued between the ruling and opposition parties. Meanwhile, thousands of daily wagers continue to demand job security and better working conditions, with the issue remaining unresolved for the past 15 years.
Political History of the Issue
The demand for the regularization of daily wagers has been pending for years. On October 25, 2014, then PHE, Flood Control, and Irrigation Minister Sham Lal Sharma resigned from the council of ministers, citing the lack of progress on the matter.
Sharma, a Congress leader, accused then-Finance Minister Abdul Rahim Rather of deliberately stalling the process. He alleged that Rather, who headed the Cabinet Sub-Committee on regularization, used delaying tactics to prevent thousands of casual workers from being absorbed into permanent positions.
Government announces committee for regularization
During the discussion on the 2025 Budget, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah announced the formation of a high-level committee to address the regularization of daily wagers.
"Through this House, I am announcing the formation of a committee under the Chief Secretary, with the Additional Chief Secretary to the CM, Commissioner Secretary GAD, Planning Secretary, and Law Secretary. Within six months, we will finalize a framework, determine the exact number of daily wagers, and legally and financially assess how they can be regularized. Then, the policy will be discussed in the next budget," Abdullah said.
He reiterated that the issue was not just financial but a humanitarian and social concern. Referring to the recent police action against protesters in Srinagar and Jammu, he asked, "Why did the situation reach this stage?"
The Chief Minister recalled that during his previous tenure, his government had initiated steps for regularizing daily wagers, but the 2014 elections and the devastating floods disrupted those plans.
Abdullah criticizes opposition's inaction
Taking a dig at the opposition, Abdullah questioned their failure to address the issue during their tenure.
"I reviewed past budget speeches from your time in power. Except for one vague mention of 'sustainable livelihood' in the fourth budget, there was no serious effort for daily wagers," he remarked. He further pointed out that even after the issuance of SRO-520, only 577 daily wagers were regularized.
He criticized the opposition for prioritizing the 7th Pay Commission over regularization, further complicating the situation.
"Then came the J&K Reorganization Act, which effectively shut the door on their regularization. Now, we must reopen this issue. But over the years, their numbers have changed, making it difficult to determine an accurate count," Abdullah said.
He stressed that the government must start from scratch to resolve the concerns of daily wagers and ensure a fair and just policy for their regularization.
