Three-day 'Mazdoor-Kisan Mahapadav' (workers and farmers' grand assembly) in Delhi and every state capital ended today with spirited participation of tens of thousands of activists across the country. On the 3rd anniversary of historic farmers' movement of 2020 against the three pro-corporate farm laws, workers and farmers' unions had jointly given call for a three-day sit-in protest (26th- 28th Nov 2023) before all the Raj Bhawan at state capitals.
The joint action call of Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) and Central Trade Unions (CTUs) condemning the Modi-BJP govt led state repression against Newsclick and other journalists, called for renewed resistance RSS-BJP – Corporate plan of depriving the people of India of food security, pauperising the farmers, and dismantling of labour laws and working class rights. The Mahapadav also remembered the valiant sacrifice of hundreds of martyrs of farmers movement who laid down their lives resisting the brutal repression by a fascist government serving interests of Imperialist exploiters. The Mahapadav gave a clarion call to Oust the Corporate- Communal Nexus in Governance from Power to Save the People and Save the Nation.
In Bihar, the Mahapadav call was observed across the state with hundreds gathering in Patna as to pay their homage to the martyrs of the farmers movement and calling upon the Modi regime to stop its anti-people policies. AICCTU, AIKM and AIARLA and other farmers and workers organisations gathered at GAIT Public Library as part of the call.
AIKM National General Secretary Comrade Rajaram Singh addressing the gathering said that this Mahapdav is a warning to Modi government that the time of its rule of corporate loot and oppression of toiling masses is over and the next General Elections will be fought on the agenda of farmers and workers. “Our call is clear- those who stand with farmers-workers will only be allowed to rule in the country. We are gearing up for intensifying the united action of workers and farmers ad their demands” added Rajaram.
Com. Shashi Yadav of national secretary of AICCTU congratulating the massive participation workers and farmers and success of the three day Mahapadav, she added that all the promises made by the Modi government in past nine years have not been implemented. Instead, in these 9 years we see that all the rights and livelihood of workers and farmers are being sacrificed at the altar of corporate loot. “When people of this country question and resist these anti-people policies of the BJP regime, ED-CBI-IT and Police agencies are unleashed against them to supress their voices. We have seen this recently when Newsclick journalists who covered the historic farmers movement were raided and charged with draconian anti-terror law and other fabricated charges. The workers and farmers of this country have resolved to throw such an anti-people government into the dustbin of history” added Shashi Yadav.
In Delhi, the initial two days of Mahapadav was organised at Delhi Civil Lines with the final day culminating as a massive gathering at Jantar Mantar. Com. Rajiv Dimri, General Secretary of AICCTU addressing the protest at Jantar Mantar said that the BJP led Union Government has failed on all counts making the life of people miserable, worked mainly against the interest of nation to the advantage of Corporates of Indian and foreign brand. On the other hand all out oppressive measures by misusing government institutions and various laws to suppress the voice of any opposition to the government policies has been the hallmark of this rule. The forces of communal divide and hatred are given tacit support from the ruling circles vitiating the peace and harmony in the society.
Com. Sucheta De, National Vice President of AICCTU added that this Modi-BJP regime have respect for the country’s constitution, it’s democratic values and the lives of toiling masses. We have seen in Uttarakhand that despite warning by experts, the Modi and Uttarakhand BJP government diluted the provisions of environmental impact assessment. This tampering, with utter disregard to lives of the people and the fragile environment led to this Uttarkashi tunnel collapse. Across the country, blatant violation of rights and lives of the workers are ongoing at the behest of Modi and his corporate cronies. Such a government has no place in the country.
In Kolkata, on the third day of the Mahapadav, a march was organised towards the Rajbhavan in which thousands participated. Condemning the corporate loot and state repression against activists and journalists in the country, the Com. Basudev Basu, AICCTU State GS, demanded that Central government must provide the minimum supportive price guarantee law for the crop, start 100 days work, pay arrears, cancel electricity bill 2022 & smart meters, stop privatization, end destruction of labour laws, end the privatization of public sector and give official recognise sharecroppers.
As part of the Mahapadav, three day join program was organised in Chennai in which AICCTU and AIKM joined in large numbers. The program was addressed by AICCTU President Com. Shankar and AIKM National secretary Com. Chandramohan. The leaders, addressing the program noted that in last 9 years of Modi-BJP government, only the rich and super rich have been benefitted. All the country’s public resources have been or are been sold to private corporates, meanwhile toiling masses and common people are struggling- wages have been stagnated, social security have been slashed, workers rights and laws have been destroyed, farmers are forced into viscous cycle of farm debt. They reiterated that as we approach the 2024 General Elections, the movement against state repression and corporate loot needs to be intensified.
The SKM and CTUs in a statement at the conclusion of the Mahapdav noted the massive Mahapadav across the country was organised in corner of the country including Port Blair in Andaman Nicobar. The workers and farmers demanded the national economy should be protected from the malice of the systemic crisis of the neoliberal policies by putting more money in the hands of the common people who create our national wealth and keep the national economy running, by increasing the statutory minimum wages and expanding and universalising social security measures with government funding and other such measures, such as subsidy to farmers including agricultural inputs, the state owned mandies, appropriate MSP etc are the measures necessary to address the distress among the farming community.
Writers, intellectuals, journalists, social activists and members of the opposition are being targeted on flimsy grounds only for criticising this Government with the help of government agencies such as the ED, CBI, NIA and through misuse of nefarious laws such as UAPA and Sedition Act etc. The Editor of Newsclick Media Prabir Purkayastha and the HR Manager Amit Chakraborty are jailed by the Union Government since they have published the truth and facts on the historic farmer’s struggle. This is aimed to create an atmosphere of terror, to silence all opposition and dissent, and sabotage democratic processes. The workers and farmers' unions have called upon all sections of the society to intensify the struggle against Modi-BJP led corporate loot of the country and its resources.
