NEW DELHI : Economic compulsions have started to trump ideological divides among political parties and state governments amid the lockdown with states ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Congress, and regional parties rushing to amend labour laws to spur economic activity.
BJP-ruled states such as Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, Goa, and Karnataka led the trend, with Congress-ruled states such as Punjab and Rajasthan and Maha Vikas Aghadi-led Maharashtra also considering changes.
Some states governed by parties opposed to both the BJP and the Congress, such as Odisha, which is ruled by the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), have also increased working hours of labourers and amended related laws. “It is the need of the hour