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| The most common private reaction is that they had been asking for it. The general public response is that it is just a law and order problem that should be sorted out quickly. |
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| A little reflection, however, should show that this is not the case. What happened in Assam could well happen practically anywhere else in the country because the harsh truth is that, thanks to 12 years of Laloo rule, employment opportunities have shrunk to almost zero in the state. |
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| The poor there have been forced to look for jobs elsewhere in the country to meet the meagre cash needs in what continues to be a largely subsistence economy. |
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| Whereas in the pre-Laloo era, it was mostly the landless who went to Punjab during the harvest, for the last 10 years, even those with family land have been forced to go out in search of jobs. |
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| Since urban India has been growing so much faster, and since the locals demand higher wages, Biharis have flooded into all major cities and towns, willing to work for lower wages. |
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| This hugely increased urban presence, which is usually concentrated, has raised their visibility. As a result, they have become the target of the more general resentment that is simmering over the lack of employment opportunities caused by the investment famine of the last decade. |
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| Indeed, public investment had started to drop from the Seventh Plan onwards and the crisis of 1991 accelerated the trend. |
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| That is why today, for every job that is advertised by the government, especially at the lower levels where skill requirements are not very demanding, at least 10,000 apply for it. |
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| In Maharashtra, the Railways advertised for 2,000 jobs and nearly 4.5 lakh people applied. This scarcity, coupled with the security that a government job offers, is beginning to foment a xenophobia that is best illustrated by the Shiv Sena. |
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| In the 1960s it had started by targeting south Indians; today their focus has shifted to Biharis. The manifestation may be different but the underlying problem is the same joblessness. |
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| It is no comfort that this happens all over the world. It should not be happening in India, but it is, and the politicians are squarely to blame. |
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| They need to wake up to the fact that this is not the first time that there have been job related disturbances resulting in killings. |
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| This is a matter of very serious concern. If not dealt with in the manner necessary, namely, by raising the overall level of investment in the country, it could lead to very severe social unrest. |
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| What we saw in the 1960s and the 1970s will pale in comparison. Those who accuse economists of coming up with the same solution to every problem may smile smugly, but the fact remains: unless the political parties arrive at a quick consensus on economic reform aimed at increasing investment which alone can provide more jobs, we are in for some very troubled times. |
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