The Diwali season started early this year. Crackers continue to burst in Delhi.Jagmohan, Madan Lal Khurana, Sheila Dixit and other leaders ignite the explosions.
Jagmohan inaugurated the festivities. He said the law must be observed in letter andspirit. That is God's Grand Design. That became Jagmohan's plan. That was why suddenly andbelatedly Delhi's Master Plan became sacred.
The honourable judges of the Supreme Court thought likewise. The case was crystalclear. There was the Master Plan in writing. It had been flagrantly violated. The law mustbe upheld. Ergo, banish all illegal industries from residential areas.
The court passed its order. Jagmohan started to implement it. Over a lakh of industrieswill close down if it is implemented because there is no viable place they can berelocated. Over 10 lakh workers will be unemployed because they have no immediatealternative employment.
The workers are incensed because they will lose their jobs. The factory owners areenraged because they will lose their factories. The leaders are angry because they willlose their votes.
The leaders petitioned the prime minister. They protest: "If the industries areclosed, thousands of votes will be lost. The government will lose its entire body ofsupport."
Jagmohan retorts: "If you flout the law and violate the Master Plan, thegovernment will lose its soul."
The PM is caught in the crossfire.
But aren't industrialists to blame because they broke the laws? Er... yes... but notquite. You see, the government gave all of them proper trade licences. The governmentsanctioned regularised power supply to all factories. It gave them sales tax registrationand excise code numbers. So how are the factories illegal?
Ah, but they violated the Master Plan. That's against the law. And violating the lawmust be punished. The guilty must suffer. That's justice.
All of them are right. The Supreme Court is right because it upholds the law. Jagmohanis right because he follows the court's directive. The political leaders are right becausethey agitate for suffering workers. The factory owners are right because they establishedtheir factories with the compliance of the government.
Only the workers are wrong. Why do they work when the system doesn't work? That makesthem guilty. So let them be punished.
Shirkers of the world unite,
Leave workers to their plight
They just don't know
Where else to go!
