On April 5, farmers, and agriculture workers will be jointly marching to Delhi to protest against the Modi government for confirming “Amrit Kaal for companions like Ambani and Adani” while inflation and unemployment break the backs of common people.
Organized by CITU, All India Agricultural Workers Union, and All India Kisan Sabha, the ‘Mazdoor Kisan Sangharsh Rally’ is also likely to see the participation of tens of thousands of people and will be a repeat of the protest held previously on 5 September 2018.
Planned as a charge sheet against the Modi government, the protest will be raising a 13-point list of demands, including ensuring the minimum wage at Rs 26,000 per month and a pension of Rs 10,000 to all the workers, abolishing the Agnipath scheme, assuring the minimum support price for crops as suggested by the Swaminathan Commission, no contractual labor, and a one-time loan waiver for all poor and middle-income peasants and agricultural workers.
The protestors will be demanding the abolition of four labor codes and the Electricity Amendment Bill of 2022, increasing MGNREGA workdays to 200 with minimum wages at Rs 600 per day, enacting an urban job guarantee scheme, ceasing the privatization of the public sector units and public services, tackling price rise and reduction of the central excise tax on fuel, tax on the super-rich, introduction of wealth tax and enhancement of corporate tax.
As per the General Secretary, Tapan Sen (CITU), B Venkat (AIAWU), and Vijoo Krishnan (Kisan Sabha), the Modi government is going all out to ensure ‘Amrit Kaal’ for companions like Ambani and Adani by ill-treating and looting peasants and workers.
Accusing the Modi government of being “absolutely insensitive” to the “burning problem” of unemployment while doing everything to do away with the present legal rights of the workers, including the minimum wages. They also added to this, a written agreement to the farmer’s organization including that of the guaranteed remunerative price, during the historic unrest against the “three black farm laws” which have also been totally ignored.
In addition to this, they said, “reduction of the legal entitlements of the people for food, health, and education is also one such problem and also at the same time all the democratic institutions are being destructed and democratic rights are being curtailed. All the voices of objection against the ruling dispensation are to be met with draconian acts like the UAPA. Communal hatred is also being spread by the ruling RSS-BJP dispensation to divide the unity of the people on the real issues”.
The decision for holding a joint rally was taken at a convention last year in September.
