MUMBAI: The Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (UBT) on Friday accused the BJP of labelling the Noida labour protest as “Pakistani Conspiracy”, saying that it is an insult to India’s workforce and a sign of "cowardly mentality".
The Thackeray camp, in a scathing editorial of the party's mouthpiece 'Saamana', claimed that the BJP uses Pakistan as a political crutch to deflect from their own failures in governance and border security.
The editorial said similar claims of "Pakistani or terrorist" infiltration were made during previous farmer protests in Delhi. It suggests that whenever labourers or farmers demand their rights, the government labels them as enemies rather than addressing their legitimate economic concerns.
The editorial refers to the recent protest by thousands of workers from the electronics, automobile, and textile sectors who took to the streets to demand a hike in wages, highlighting economic distress. Despite soaring inflation, many labourers report earning only Rs 12, 000 to Rs 15, 000 per month, with annual raises as low as Rs 300.