Durgapur: On Wednesday morning, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) organized a unique protest program in front of Unit 7 gate of Durgapur Projects Limited (DPL) with a specific demand for employment of local unemployed youth. This program created a massive stir in the industrial town. Eschewing traditional slogans or road blockades, the workers of the saffron camp registered their protest in a completely different manner. They directly approached the temporary workers present at the DPL gate, folded their hands, and humbly requested them to step away from their work.
Strong allegations have been raised by the BJP that for a long time, opportunities for local deprived youth to work in various public and private industrial plants in Durgapur are being snatched away. Under the shelter of the ruling party, ignoring the actual residents of Durgapur, workers from neighboring districts such as Asansol, Purulia, Bankura, Birbhum, and Jhargram are being brought in and employed here. Not only that, the saffron camp has also alleged heavy financial transactions or corruption behind securing these temporary jobs. However, the truth or independent verification of these serious allegations has not yet been possible.
Due to the shrinking employment opportunities in the industrial town of Durgapur day by day, intense discontent has been brewing among the local educated unemployed youth for a long time. The allegation of providing work opportunities to outsiders instead of locals in a traditional and important industrial institution like Durgapur is not new. Earlier too, various political parties have raised their voices on this issue. However, today's novel political program by the BJP, named 'folding hands and requesting to step aside,' has added a new dimension to the politics of the industrial belt. Political circles are now keeping a close eye on how this persistent attitude of the locals demanding jobs will impact the industrial politics of Durgapur in the coming days. On the other hand, adequate police forces were deployed at the spot to prevent any untoward situation arising from this program. The administration has also been keeping a close watch on the entire matter. However, no official reaction has been received from the DPL authorities or the local ruling party regarding this matter so far.
