WHILE the BJP government has continued its onslaught to crush the long-running scheme workers' movement in Haryana, adopting all the tactics of repression, at the same time, thousands of women are marching ahead fighting the repression of the government run by the RSS.

The BJP government exposed itself in the matter of the state level demonstration of ASHA workers on February 17.  For a long time, especially since the time of Corona pandemic, all the 20,000 ASHA workers of the state have been agitating.  The workload on them has increased manifold since the pandemic, but instead of increasing their pay, the Haryana government has deducted amounts of their already released honorarium/incentive. Two years later, on December 6, 2021, the government's health minister called the union for talks after the workers lay siege to his residence.  After the union representatives had talks with the top officers of the government, a consensus was reached on all the demands, but the file asking the return of the deducted amount was not cleared.  The union waited and then called for a state-level demonstration in Ambala, the home town of the health minister.

Search for the district and state level leaders of ASHA workers was started across the state on the preceding night itself.  Police and CID personnel were kept on vigilance at the houses of union leaders. In the morning on February 17, the vehicles which were to start for the rally were impounded.  Many vehicles were stopped enroute in different districts of the state. Thousands of ASHA workers were taken into custody and kept in police stations.  The documents of the drivers were snatched and they were assaulted. Haryana Roadways and private roadways buses were searched by the police on the borders of Ambala district throughout the day due to which two national highways were blocked for hours. The government was so intimidated by the agitators that women who were wearing clothes of the same colour as the ASHA workers' dress were also arrested.  CITU state president and ASHA Workers’ Union state president Surekha, union state general secretary Sunita, treasurer Anita and state general secretary of Janwadi Mahila Samiti, Savita were taken into custody before entering Ambala, along with their vehicle. They were released around 10:30 pm in the night.  Demonstrations were held on the roads against this repression at all the places throughout the state. Demonstrations were also held at police stations.  Protesting against this, ASHAs stopped work for the next two days.  On February 22, demonstrations were organised besieging the offices of all the police chiefs of the district headquarters. Organisations like CITU, Sarva Karamchari Sangh, Janwadi Mahila Samiti etc also participated in the anti-repression actions.

REPRESSION ON THE ASSEMBLY MARCH OF STRIKING ANGANWADI WORKERS

On the occasion of the budget session of Haryana legislative assembly, the struggling anganwadi workers had planned a demonstration on the Vidhan Sabha on March 3.  Vast preparations were made for it across the state.  But as apprehended like ASHAs, the same was done with the anganwadi workers and helpers.  Batches of workers from different parts of the state were taken into custody from the late night on March 2.  On the morning of March 3, buses and other vehicles were taken into custody on the way.  By changing the route on a large scale, the police force surrounded the national highways to reach the boundaries of the districts adjoining the rally site at Panchkula.  This led to jams and many national highways remained jammed till evening.  Rallies and meetings continued on these routes at dozens of places. Despite all this, thousands of women reached the meeting place, where at the behest of the government, the police arrested them and took them to different far off places and left them.

Toll plaza at Barwala, near Panchkula was jammed by agitating workers and helpers.  Here the police lathi-charged and hundreds of anganwadi workers, including leaders, were arrested.  These included CITU national secretary and president of All India Federation of Anganwadi Workers and Helpers, Usha Rani, general secretary AR Sindhu, Sarva Karmchari Sangh general secretary Satish Sethi, CITU leaders Kamlesh Bhervi, Rama, Lachhi Ram and leaders of Anganwadi Co-ordination Committee. There was a jam till 7 pm in Majra near the National Highway Moli in Ambala where the gathering of thousands of workers and helpers continued.

HISTORICAL STRIKE OF ANGANWADI WORKERS CONTINUING FOR 95 DAYS, NOW PREPARING FOR BIG RALLY

This movement has broken all the records of the movements in the state so far.  It is quite possible that there has not been such a long strike of anganwadi workers.  Every day, on every front, women are bravely fighting the oppression of the government.  Around 600 workers and helpers have been sacked.  False police cases have been registered on more than 400.  No honorarium has been paid for the last three months. Rather, they have to pay out-of-pocket fare to go to protest sites every day.  Bearing all these hardships, women are moving forward  and continuing in the movement with a strong will.

Once again the fear of red flag is haunting chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar, a prachark of RSS.  He has not implemented the announcements made by himself and the prime minister for 50,000 anganwadi workers.  It is worth listening to his reply given in the assembly by rejecting the adjournment motion moved by the opposition party Congress regarding the movement of anganwadi workers.  He said in the Haryana Vidhan Sabha on 7 March 7, 2022 that the leaders of the Communist Party and those with red flags have penetrated deep into this movement.  They are misguiding thousands of workers and helpers.  The chief minister is so scared of the red flag that he is not allowing women to assemble even for a rally at any one place and is not negotiating with the Coordination Committee. Due to the pressure of the movement, two demands have been accepted in the budget. Despite false propaganda against the workers by the government, women are moving forward holding the red flags firmly.

On March 2, the Sarva Karamchari Sangh Haryana organised an anti-repression protest in which thousands of employees participated.  On March 8, International Women's Day, thousands of women marched under the leadership of scheme workers, Janwadi Mahila Samiti and Sarva Karmachari Sangh. In the context of the anganwadi movement, a state-level meeting of the state government employees, workers, farmers, women and other organisations is being called on March 10.  In this, the decision of the state level rally will be taken, for which mass campaigns will be conducted in the state for the participation of all the sections on a large scale.  All the opposition parties and organisations of the state are opposing the repressive behavior of the government.