MAHARASHTRA witnessed four massive actions in the last three weeks. The first was the response to the nationwide working-class strike and the nationwide peasant upsurge on November 26. The second was the solidarity action to support the fighting farmers of Punjab and Haryana at the Delhi border on December 3. The third was the overwhelming response to the Bharat Bandh on December 8 in support of the farmer’s struggle. And the fourth was the response to the nationwide call for demonstrations in support of the farmers stir on December 14.

And now, in what will be the fifth major action, the online meeting of the AIKS Maharashtra state council held on December 14 decided to mobilise a large number of peasants from all over the state to Delhi in a 1,300 km vehicle march beginning December 21 from Nashik.  

All these struggles demanded a rollback of the three Farm Acts, the four Labour Codes and the Electricity Amendment Bill and saw worker-peasant unity in action. They were preceded by a widespread campaign of meetings, leaflet distribution, press conferences and social media activity.

The first four actions were led by a united coalition of three platforms – the Trade Unions Joint Action Committee (TUJAC), the All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC) and the Struggle Committee of Mass Movements (JASS) which is an umbrella front of all leading class, mass and social organizations in Maharashtra. Along with the massive participation by both CITU and AIKS, the AIAWU, AIDWA, DYFI and SFI also took an active part in all these actions.

HUGE WORKING-CLASS STRIKE

On November 26, strikes were widespread in industrial centres and in the manufacturing sector of Mumbai, Pune, Nashik, Aurangabad, Nagpur and Solapur. Lakhs of organized, unorganized and scheme workers took part in the strike all over the state. 

In Pune for the first time, there was a complete strike in Tata Motors. About 20,000 workers attended the mass meeting at Pimpri Chinchwad organised by TUJAC. In Raigad district, there was a complete strike in the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT). In Vidarbha 24,000 coal workers went on strike. In Solapur, around 1,25,000 and in Pune around 3,00,000 workers from organised, unorganised and scheme workers went on strike. The strike in the banking, insurance and government employees’ sector was total.

Along with the strike, big mass meetings were held in Nashik and Pune. In Mumbai, Aurangabad, Solapur, Kolhapur, Nagpur and most other districts in the state large demonstrations were held at multiple locations. In Solapur, under CITU leadership, over 16,000 workers braved repression and led a rally to the district collectorate. The actions were often in the form of human chains because of Covid restrictions. In Mumbai, large human chains were organised in different parts of the city by all unions in TUJAC and they mobilised an estimated one lakh people. CITU organised human chains in more than 20 locations.    

LARGE PEASANT ACTIONS

Simultaneously, on November 26, thousands of peasants conducted massive road blockades on the national and state highways. Many of these highways were blocked for many hours. In many other places, there were large marches and demonstrations at district and tehsil centres.

The total mobilisation in 103 centres in 30 districts of Maharashtra, predominantly by the AIKS and CITU, and supported by the AIAWU, AIDWA, DYFI and SFI on November 26, crossed the 75,000 mark. The first five districts were as follows: Thane-Palghar – 27,500 (9 centres), Solapur – 16,450 (four centres), Nashik – 12,550 (10 centres), Ahmednagar – 4,000 (one place), Nanded – 3,000 (two centres). Kolhapur, Mumbai, Amravati, Raigad, Jalna, Aurangabad and Nagpur also made sizeable efforts. The mobilisation on November 26 by other trade unions and organisations in the TUJAC, AIKSCC and JASS were also substantial.

Again, in the solidarity call with the farmers' struggle on December 3, the six class and mass fronts mentioned above mobilised nearly 20,000 people at 87 centres in the state. The first five districts in mobilisation in this action were as follows: Thane-Palghar – 5,500 (seven centres), Nashik - 3,300 (nine centres), Solapur – 1,100 (three centres), Pune – 1,000 (four centres), Parbhani – 800 (four centres). In this action also, many other organisations took a sizable part.

On December 14, once again at the nationwide call of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), big dharnas and demonstrations were held at several district and tehsil centres. They mobilised thousands of people in both rural and urban areas. Detailed reports of these are coming in.  

MASSIVE BHARAT BANDH

The Bharat Bandh on December 8 evoked overwhelming response from the people of Maharashtra. It was by far one of the largest and most spontaneous bandhs in recent history.

Along with the Left parties like CPI(M), CPI and PWP, the bandh was supported by all three main parties in the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition in the state, viz., Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress. Other parties like Bahujan Vikas Aghadi (BVA), Samajwadi Party (SP), JD (S) and others also lent their support. Along with the major kisan organisations, most of the trade unions and other mass organisations supported the bandh call to the hilt. Lakhs of activists of all the above parties and organisations came on to the streets unitedly to make this bandh a truly massive success. All APMCs including the largest APMC at Vashi in New Mumbai were completely closed. Several traders' and transporter organisations came out in full support. Several national and state highways, shops and marketplaces, towns and cities were closed. 

One jarring note in this bandh was the completely unwarranted police lathi-charge injuring several CPI(M) activists in Solapur, and the slapping of police cases under IPC Section 353 and others on 17 of them, including the CPI(M) state secretary, Narasayya Adam. Fifteen leaders were arrested and were in jail for five days until they were released on bail. They included AIKS state vice president, Siddhappa Kalshetty, AIDWA state president, Naseema Shaikh, CITU leaders-Yusuf Shaikh (Major), Nalini Kalburgi, Venkatesh Kongari, Shevantabai Deshmukh, Mohd Hanif Satkhed, DYFI leaders-Anil Wasam, Datta Chavan, Balkrishna Mallyal, SFI leader, Sham Adam and others. Four of those who were arrested are former municipal corporators of the Party.

The success of the bandh showed that the battle had been joined, not only in Maharashtra but throughout the country, with the BJP-RSS central government along with the Indian and foreign corporates that it represents on one side and the great majority of the working people of the country on the other. This was greatly helped by the people’s sympathy with, and support to, the lakhs of farmers who are waging a bitter struggle on the borders of the nation’s capital.