Workers of Gokak Mills seem to have been sandwiched between the management and politicians, with the leadership of the workers’ union changing thrice in just a month.
The leadership of the workers’ union, which was in the hands of Congress MLA Ramesh L. Jarkiholi for long, underwent a change recently and Ashok Pujari of the Bharatiya Janata Party took control over it. However, Bhimshi L. Jarkiholi, younger brother of Mr. Ramesh Jarkiholi, Small-Scale Industries Minister Satish L. Jarkiholi and the former Minister Balchandra L. Jarkiholi, BJP MLA, made quick moves and formed a new union titled Mahashakti Javali Karmikara Sangh and assumed its leadership overnight.
It all started with a workers’ protest against the management’s alleged harassment and suspension of 16 union leaders last month, even as the management illegally declared a lockout citing losses, leaving around 2,000 workers to fend for themselves. With this, a strong feeling of insecurity gripped the workers and their families.
As the workers’ attempts to persuade Mr. Ramesh Jarkiholi to intervene in the issue failed, a few of them welcomed Mr. Pujari’s initiatives when he led them to the Deputy Commissioner and requested government intervention to resolve the row.
Mr. Pujari, a former district president of the Janata Dal (Secular), had unsuccessfully contested against Mr. Ramesh Jarkiholi in the Assembly elections in 2008 and 2013 on JD(S) ticket.
He joined the BJP recently and the party has projected him as its candidate for the next Assembly elections from Gokak.
This apparently did not go down well with Mr. Bhimshi Jarkiholi, who too is an aspirant from the seat. He unsuccessfully contested as an Independent candidate from there in 2013. Mr. Bhimshi Jarkiholi lost his deposit as he could secure only 1,831 votes.
In the 2013 election, Mr. Pujari had secured 51,170 votes and was the runner-up and Mr. Ramesh Jarkiholi had polled 79,175 votes. Now, with the changing political equations, both Mr. Pujari and the BJP believe that their electoral prospects have brightened and there was every possibility to snatch the Gokak constituency from the control of Mr. Ramesh Jarkiholi.
It is reported that there are a substantial number of voters in Gokak Falls, a majority of them belonging to the mill workers’ families, and political parties try to lure them in their favour during elections.
But, the feeling of insecurity among workers is yet to be addressed, district in-charge Minister Mr. Satish Jarkiholi and Deputy Commissioner N. Jayaram have begun efforts to re-open the mill.
