RRajasthan is yet to enter the electoral fray, but the politics of the 2019 Pulwama attack is once again being played out on a tragic theatre. It could have easily fallen into the theater of the absurd but for the fact that central to the stage were three women whose husbands were Central Reserve Police Force personnel who lost their lives in a car bomb attack on 14 February 2019. Madhubala Meena lost. Head Constable Hemraj Meena, while Manju Jat’s husband Constable Rohitash Lamba and Sundari Devi lost Constable Jeet Ram Gurjar. Their loss can never be compensated.
The staging of the drama on the streets of Jaipur was, however, over-compensated. And the fact that the Congress’s Ashok Gehlot-led Rajasthan government should enable the two of them to get more. On the day of the attack, the CRPF lost 40 men, five of whom were from Rajasthan. The families of Head Constable Narayan Lal Gurjar and Constable Bhagirath Singh have not been seen making any additional demands or participating in any street demonstrations. Nor, for that matter, have the other 37 wives of dead soldiers been known to stage the ubiquitous form of protest. strike, Two out of three have put forward the same demand – jobs.
What benefits will open Pandora’s box?
In any case, the issue of jobs does not figure in any discussion as it is mandatory in any compensation package. And this has been demonstrated since the time television brought the war home during the Kargil campaign of 1999. It is also part of the package to be offered in Rajasthan apart from financial and other allocations. This includes Rs 25 lakh in cash and an equal additional amount if the wife of the deceased does not want irrigated land or a middle-income group urban house. Another Rs 5 lakh for parents, and one child secured in the post office savings account.
Then there’s the small feature of the Rajasthan Roadways Bus Pass for a lifetime, and finally what really attracts attention in rural Rajasthan – the renaming of schools or colleges after statues and soldiers. Madhubala Meena has renamed a college in Sangod after her husband, besides installing two statues in the college and a park in her native village of Vinod Kalan in Kota district. His presence on the streets is motivated by a desire to install a third statue at a public square in Sangod town, which has apparently been denied by the district administration.
Manju Jatt wants a job for her younger brother-in-law and so does Sundari Devi. The law in Rajasthan prohibits anyone except the wife and child from availing the opportunity. There is no known instance of compromise when it comes to paying compensation to the families of soldiers, and bowing to pressure this time will open a Pandora’s box socially. The fact that this demonstration of demands is under the guidance of a senior politician from Rajasthan is disingenuous enough, but what makes it even more suspicious is the opening of avenues for further exploitation.
don’t succumb to pressure
Both Manju and Sundari have minor children who can take advantage of assured employment when they become adults. Whether or not they take advantage of it is a different matter entirely, as not all options are kosher for all applicants. More on that later. The brutal reality of life for a soldier’s wife in India is in stark contrast to the flag-waving fun prevailing in the name of patriotism. The soldier-husband is often the only earning member in the family, and pay commissions have ensured that this is an adequate package for rural consumption standards, thus fostering jealousy.
Many times women and children are denied the full benefits of earning. And God forbid if the soldier dies on duty. The temptation of human greed for the growth of cash and other benefits is too much to overcome. Now he has to be bound in his in-laws house. And this is where the pressure of getting a job for Devar comes above the interests of his children. i met manju Yes Thrice in 2022, always with the looming presence of your brother-in-law. Each time, I requested her to think of her child.
The death of a husband is brutal enough for most women in India, and even more so when other factors step in to determine the course of action. Therefore, acquiescing to this demand would translate into pressure tactics in more households with such women. While it is not the job of the state to monitor the families, it can certainly ensure that all possible loopholes are plugged for exploitation of such tragic circumstances. some soldiers have wives better educated, so they don’t take advantage of job offers where the state can do more to help them. True respect comes from giving them proper employment.
Jobs like Pay Matrix L-10, Group C and D are officially offered in the official language. They were once called Class III and IV. Little wonder that many women hate using such options. Considering their educational qualification and the circumstances of their sacrifice in the service of the country, such women should be inducted into the fold without going through much hardship and stress of examinations. It is better to compromise with these rules and regulations which will empower an underprivileged woman rather than giving in to pressure and encouraging exploitation.
Manvendra Singh is a Congress leader, Editor-in-Chief of Defense and Security Alert and Chairman, Sainik Welfare Advisory Committee, Rajasthan. He tweeted @ManvendraJasol. Thoughts are personal.
(Edited by Hamra Like)