When controversy strikes, the powerful don바카라™t apologize바카라”they pivot. From blaming wives to blaming workers, this corporate titan바카라™s distraction game reveals a deeper truth about wealth, power, and the politics of blame.
When a powerful man fumbles, he doesn바카라™t apologize. He distracts. And when one of India바카라™s top corporate titans recently found himself in trouble for blaming wives for workplace inefficiency, he swiftly pivoted바카라”to blaming construction workers for laziness.
The timing was too perfect to be a coincidence. Just days after his remarks about women sparked outrage, he delivered a new statement lamenting that India바카라™s laborers were no longer willing to work due to the 바카라ścomfort바카라ť provided by welfare schemes. Suddenly, the conversation shifted. No longer was he the executive who trivialized the role of wives; he was now the truth-teller exposing the so-called entitlement of the poor.
It was a textbook PR move. When caught in controversy, change the subject. And if the original offense alienated one group바카라”say, women바카라”make a new statement that appeases a more influential one, like the business elite.
There바카라™s no faster way to regain credibility in certain circles than by attacking the working class. This has long been a favored tactic of the wealthy, who, when faced with criticism, instinctively reach for the old 바카라śthe poor have it too easy바카라ť narrative. It바카라™s reliable, it바카라™s effective, and best of all바카라”it distracts from the real issue at hand.
But let바카라™s pause for a moment. Are Indian construction workers truly living lives of 바카라ścomfort바카라ť?
Picture this: A laborer wakes up before dawn in a makeshift shack beside the construction site, his bed a thin mat on the ground. His wife, if she is with him, may be carrying bricks on her head for daily wages. Their children, if they are lucky, attend school instead of joining them at work. The air is thick with cement dust, the midday sun is relentless, and the hours stretch on.
That is the reality of construction work in India. These are the people being accused of rejecting employment because they are 바카라śtoo comfortable.바카라ť
India바카라™s construction laborers endure some of the harshest working conditions in the country. They work at dizzying heights without safety nets, mix concrete with bare hands, and earn just enough to scrape by. Many are migrants, forced to move from one state to another in search of work, their families left behind in villages. If some of them are choosing rural welfare programs over urban construction jobs, it바카라™s not because they바카라™re lazy바카라”it바카라™s because the alternative is exploitative.
Let바카라™s be clear: This remark was never really about labor shortages. It was about shifting blame.
For corporations that thrive on cheap labor, any scheme that gives workers even a sliver of choice is a threat. Programs like MGNREGA, which provide basic employment in villages, reduce the desperation that keeps wages low. If a construction worker can earn enough to survive without migrating, he might just demand better pay. That, in the eyes of certain business leaders, is unacceptable.
This isn바카라™t about welfare making workers complacent. It바카라™s about workers realizing they deserve better.
The chairman didn바카라™t make this statement for the general public. He made it for two very specific audiences.
The first is his corporate peers바카라”the ones who sit in boardrooms and complain about labor shortages over fine whiskey. To them, this statement signals solidarity. It reassures them that their struggles aren바카라™t due to low wages or harsh conditions but to government interference. It reinforces the comforting illusion that they are not underpaying workers바카라”the government is simply overindulging them.
The second audience is the policymakers. By framing welfare as an obstacle to economic growth, the goal is to pressure the government into rolling back social protections. The message is clear: If you want more people working, make poverty more unbearable.
Of course, the most fascinating part of this entire episode is how neatly it served as damage control. When his comments about wives drew criticism, he needed a new headline바카라”one that would play well with the business community. So, he reached for the most reliable distraction of all: blaming the poor.
It worked. Almost immediately, the debate shifted. News anchors who had been discussing gender roles in the workplace were now debating labor shortages. Business publications, always eager to amplify grievances against welfare, jumped on board. The controversy over his views on women faded into the background.
It was a masterstroke of redirection. But was it enough?
Among the business elite, this pivot will work바카라”at least for now. The rich have always been receptive to narratives that cast them as victims of government generosity toward the poor.
But outside those circles, people are watching. Construction workers, their families, and the millions who make up India바카라™s labor force have heard these complaints before. And they are growing tired of them.
For every executive lamenting that laborers are no longer desperate enough, there are thousands of workers realizing that desperation should not be the foundation of an economy. And when enough of them refuse to accept that premise, no amount of clever PR will be able to bring them back.
So, the chairman may have successfully changed the conversation. But whether he has solved his real problem바카라”or merely postponed it바카라”remains to be seen.
The article is written by O.P. Singh, DGP and Head of Haryana State Narcotics Control Bureau.