Thousands of rural workers filled the streets in Punjab’s Sangrur on January 5th, 2023 against Modi government and its anti-labour policies. The rally, organised under the banner of CPI(ML) Liberation and Mazdoor Mukti Morcha, condemned the recent move by BJP-Modi government at the centre to link MGNREGA job card with Aadhaar-based payment system and deletion of job cards of around 8.9 crore workers as an assault on the poor and toiling masses.
Com. Purushottam Sharma, CCM, CPI(ML) in-charge for Punjab and AIKM leader, said that with the deletion of crores of MGNREGA job cards, the Modi government has snatched away the lives and livelihood of workers at the behest of corporate cronies. The regime has smashed every hard earned rights of workers, and pushed the workers and farmers of this country into a state of peril and destitution. Thousands of poor farmers and rural workers are now forced to take loans from micro-finance companies, who are part of the exploitative ecosystem thriving under the Modi regime. Many, unable to pay loans with exorbitant interest rates, are forced to die by suicide.
He added that with the rising unemployment in the country, MGNREGA provided a major stopgap relief for millions of poor in country to survive, but that is also now being taken away to turn workers into slaves of corporates. The government had also brought the three farm laws with the intention of enslaving the farmers, but the united farmers movement defeated this nefarious plan. The need of the hour is to save the people and that the country has to unite, including the toiling masses, and ensure decisive defeat of this tyrannical government in the 2024 elections.
Addressing the rally, CPI(ML) Punjab State Secretary Com. Gurmeet Singh Bakhatpura asserted the need to unite and organise. He added that when few rich people and their corporate companies can ensure a government for their benefit, then millions of workers and farmers, if united and organised can bring a government that is and for the toiling masses.
Com. Bakhatpura said that while the Modi regime is organising an all-out attack of workers and farmers, the Bhagwant Mann-led state government has failed to fulfil its promises for the poor and toiling masses. The promises of pension for women, protecting poor from the onslaught microfinance companies and ending the vicious cycle of debt, remains unfulfilled. The drug abuse in the state continue to be rampant and the government has failed to end this. Like previous governments, the Mann government’s blind eye to the nexus of the drug mafia-police-politicians remains a major impediment in eradication of drug abuse in Punjab.
Mazdoor Mukti Morcha leader Com. Govind Chhajli presented the charter of demands of the rural workers, which includes land for Dalit-labourers, ending the caste based violence oppression, 200 days of work and Rs. 700 per day wages under MGNREGA, 6 hour work and immediate release of scholarships of Dalit students, among others.
The rally concluded with the resolve to intensify and steadfastly carry forward the struggle against the anti-labour policies of Modi regime and also force the Punjab government to implement the promises it made to people during the election.
