KANPUR/KANPUR DEHAT: Kanpur, once known as ‘Manchester of East’ for being the largest hub of leather products and 12,000 other small, medium and large industries, exporting goods worth thousands of crores and contributing handsomely to the country’s reserves. However, it could not soar to the heights it deserved during respective regimes.
Ten assembly segments of Kanpur Nagar and four of Kanpur Dehat will go to the polls in the third phase on February 20.
The business community of Kanpur echoes issues like the closure of industries, especially the tanneries. “We don’t want loans, we expect better facilities to promote trade and industry so that Kanpur can regain its lost glory,” says Hemant Gupta, a trader dealing in textiles at Parade market. Kanpur will go to vote in the third phase on February 20.
Contradicting Gupta, Ashish Verma, a textile and hosiery trader, pitches in claiming that he has started his business just a year back and is content with the growth.
With a glorious historical past, Kanpur has given revolutionists like Nana Saheb Peshwa and Tatya Tope and Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi who carved a niche for Kanpur in the contemporary struggle for freedom.
Kanpur Nagar has 10 assembly segments – Kanpur Cantt, Kidwainagar, Aryanagar, Sisamau, Govindnagar, Ghatampur (SC), Maharajpur, Bithhoor, Bilhaur (SC) and Kalyanpur. In 2017, BJP had won seven of 10 seats under the Modi wave while SP had bagged 2 (Aryanagar and Sisamau) and Congress one (Kanpur Cantt).
As soon as the interaction with local voters in the Nayaganj area of Aryanagar takes off, Darshan Singh, a social activist, accepts that the development has taken place. He lists metro, development of roads, fly-over but raises the issue of traffic jams.
“The issue of pollution due to traffic snarls in the city is big,” says Singh. But the closure of Lalimli Mill of British India Corporation, due to which Kanpur had earned the moniker of ‘Manchester of the east’ still pains the people of Kanpur. The mill was established in 1876 and was closed down in 2014 due to running losses.
What is the pulse of Kanpur voters? The question gives out a mixed bag of reactions laced with ambiguity. While respondents are reluctant to name the candidates of their choice, many extend their vociferous support to the national issues.
Kaushal Kishore Dixit, in the transport business, feels nationalism and law and order are the two issues enough to bring the BJP back. When asked about unemployment, Dixit says: “Until the two-child norm is made a law and Uniform Civil Code is brought, the problem of unemployment will not be solved.”
For Rahul Pandey, a polytechnic diploma holder, unemployment is the biggest issue, Mahendra Singh, a teacher feels it is all about the level of competence. “It is just a foul cry. How many jobs did the regimes before 2017 create? As if then everyone was a collector. Those who are competent are doing jobs. The era of government jobs is overdue to the limited number of vacancies. Diligence and talent is required to get a job,” he says.
“The security of family is of utmost importance. It should be a priority for all political parties. If we are secure and at peace, then we will be able to get solutions to all our problems,” says GC Shukla, 75, a retired bank manager, voicing his support for the incumbent government.
“The land sharks and corrupt contractors who used to enjoy power in the previous regime have vanished,” says Manish Gupta engaged in real estate business. He is supported by Alka Shukla, a housewife. “You can see how dreaded gangster Vikas Dubey was eliminated. Even women feel safe now,” she asserts.
While Gautam Buddha, a foodgrain trader, takes pride in the fact that the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya has been initiated. He feels that the incumbent government has done development despite the prolonged lockdown due to the pandemic.
Kushagra Yadav, a college-going student, chooses to differ. “Work was done during the Akhilesh regime also. Metro was conceptualised by Akhilesh. But yes, Yogi Adityanath did not work with a vengeance. He continued the development projects for the benefit of people. However, joblessness is a big issue,” feels Kushagra.
Mohammad Aslam does not want to give credit for the Ram temple to the BJP government. “The temple is being constructed because of the Supreme Court order, not the BJP,” he opines.
As one reaches Maharajpur, the constituency of Satish Mahana, UP industrial development minister, voters acknowledge benefits of free-ration, free vaccination, infrastructural development and improvement in law and order scenario but feel that parties should rise above the politics of religion and caste.
“Every government should focus on providing basic amenities to people and improving their living standard like the Congress did while being in government,” says Vishal Mishra, who runs a mobile phone shop.
At the same time, the leather industry of Kanpur has taken a hit due to GST, back-to-back COIVD waves and the orders of NGT and Pollution Control Board in order the control the factory discharge into river Ganga. Though the BJP government has promised a leather park in Kanpur, the tannery owners lament reduced production due to restrictions and lack of government support. “We are facing a tough time,” says Mohammad Suhail Mirza, a tannery owner.
He claims that due to restrictions imposed on tanneries, the production has come down to 50 per cent. Irfan, a tannery labourer, says that he earns between Rs 5,000 and Rs 6,000 as compared to Rs 10,000 -Rs 12,000 per month earlier.
With the sundown, as one proceeds to rural pockets called Kanpur Dehat, the birthplace of the country’s first citizen President Ram Nath Kovid, the issue of stray cattle dominates the poolscape.
Kanpur Dehat has four assembly segments -- Akbarpur Raniya, Rasoolabad, Bhognipur and Sikandara – and BJP had won all four in the 2017 assembly elections. Craving for development, people of the back of the beyond district look up to local MLAs and state government to get their issues related to basic amenities addressed honestly.
Ironically, as one approaches Kanpur Dehat, units of multinational giants, like Nerolac, Pepsi, Amul and HPCL, dot both sides of NH19 but unemployment is still a major plank in the ongoing poll battle here. “All the manpower is ferried to work in those plants from Kanpur Nagar or other places, those from Kanpur Dehat are absorbed only as daily wagers,” says Ram Surat Agarwal, 46, a contractor.
The district had 500 such industrial units when it came into being in 1981, but only 250 have stayed and the rest have closed down. Voters of Akbarpur, one of the assembly seats, poised for a fierce triangular contest, talk of the stray cattle and lack of development as the main issues plaguing them. However, they prefer law and order and nationalism over everything especially, after PM Modi addressed a rally here on February 14.
On asking who will they vote for, Shivam Dubey, a farmer claims that the new canal pump project nearing completion will be of great help in mitigating the irrigation issues. “A trauma centre and a burn unit have also come in the district but waiting to be started,” says Dubey. He, like many others, seemed miffed with the menace of stray cattle.
“We accept that the cattle destroying our crops are our own and not sent by the government. But the authorities need to find a solution to the problem after the closure of slaughterhouses as the farmers are suffering day in and day out,” says Brijendra Singh.
Meanwhile, the women folk say that they will decide on the polling booth. “Whosoever will seem winning, I will give my vote to him only. I won’t waste it on a losing candidate,” says Kusuma, a widow of an agriculture labourer, of Rajapur village.
Many of the rural voters are keeping their cards close to the chest. They acknowledge the benefits of welfare schemes but remain tightlipped over choices. As the common perception goes, the silent vote is inclined towards Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). “Even if we vote for any other party, we are counted as BSP voters. So why not vote for ‘Behenji’ (Mayawati) who has taught us to raise our issues,” says Mahendra Kumar, a Jatav by caste.
Pitches in Imran, 40, a potato grower. “Congress is better than BJP and SP. SP is in alliance with so many parties to grab power. Congress is an old party and has experience of running the government at Centre,” says Imran dropping an explicit hint of his inclination.