'Guest worker' conundrum: Kerala is facing its own migrant labour crisis

Inter-state workers account for over a quarter of Kerala's workforce, yet they remain among the most mistreated in this communist-ruled state

Chaos reigned at a Kitex Garments unit in Kerala last Christmas night, when a group of migrant workers ran riot, injuring eight policemen and damaging several police vehicles. Around 174 migrant workers from the Northeast, Jharkhand and West Bengal have been arrested although the company claims only 23 were involved in the disturbance.

This then became part of an ongoing political tiff between Kitex Garments, which runs a political party Twenty 20 and rules four panchayats, and the CPM-led government. Local CPM leaders are blaming the company for the violence and the company claims “innocent workers were made scapegoats