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Successful Grameen Bharat Bandh, Industrial /Sectoral Strike
Struggle Reflected Anger of Farmers, Workers and Rural People across India
Succeeded to Bring Back Peoples’ Livelihood Issues on the National Agenda just ahead of the General Elections to Lok Sabha
Worker-Peasant Unity Fortified, Further Advance towards People’s Unity
THE anger of farmers against the corporate and communal policies of the Narendra Modi government has boiled over as can be witnessed in their huge participation in the grameen Bharat bandh on February 16, a call given along with industrial / sectoral strike jointly with joint platform of central trade unions, independent federations, associations and other organisations of workers, women, youth and students. The strike action reflected the anger of the people against the brutal repression by the Modi government and the BJP-led state government of Haryana on the farmers at Shambhu Border of Punjab who were marching to Delhi. One of the largest ever mass actions of the people in independent India, it has helped to bring back people’s livelihood issues on the national agenda just ahead of the forthcoming general elections to the Lok Sabha.
While in Punjab, the protest became almost a bandh, in all other states and union territories, shops, industries, markets and educational institutions, government offices remained closed in villages. Massive demonstrations and protest rallies were organised in which lakhs of people participated with enthusiasm. Workers struck work and organised massive demonstrations, students joined them by boycotting classes while youth and women also participated widely. In Jammu and Kashmir, hundreds of apple farmers demonstrated at Press Colony, Srinagar, and were forcefully dispersed by the police and para-military forces, dragging the leaders into police vehicles and taken into custody without any provocation.
This massive action helped fortify the worker-peasant unity across India and further advance it towards unity of the people upto the village and town level. This is the greatest achievement in the fight against the corporate -communal nexus under the patronage of the Modi government.
The grameen bandh call is in continuation of the demands for MSP at C2+50 per cent with guaranteed procurement, reduction in input costs, loan waiver, repeal of Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2022 and no to prepaid 'smart' meters, dismissal and prosecution of Ajay Mishra Teni, union minister of state (home) who is the main conspirator of the Lakhimpur Kheri massacre of farmers, among others. It was preceded by coordinated and joint call with workers for observing a black day on October 3, 2023; three days mahapadav protest on November 26-28, 2023 at the state capitals and massive tractor-vehicle rallies in districts on January 26, 2024.
SKM has decided to immediately intensify the agitation and it shall be done with multiple calls for massive actions in coordination with workers and all other sections of the people. SKM declares that it shall not allow the culprits of the Lakhimpur Kheri massacre to be spared and farmers all over India shall fight tooth and nail to send them to jail, and achieve MSP, loan waiver and end farmers' suicides.
SKM had sent a polite written appeal to the prime minister of India on February 13, asking him to be sympathetic and considerate to farmers who are suffering farm losses, distress, debt, unemployment, while farm labour suffers severe hunger, ill health and deprivation. It is unfortunate that the prime minister has shown full sympathy to the corporate companies, but has unleashed repression on farmers with lathi charge, pellet firing, tear gas sprays, use of drones, road blockade, house to house threats and continuing with a ‘war like approach’ towards the farmers. SKM condemns even more vehemently the injury caused to three farmers in Shambhu, who have lost their vision. The Modi government is blinding the farmers to serve the exploiting big business.
The Modi government has deliberately vitiated the atmosphere and neglected farmers’ issues and is trying to hoodwink people into believing that it is truthful and sincere. The PM promised a committee to consider MSP and other demands in December 2021. Seven months later he formed one with those who were openly opposed to giving MSP and he added crop diversification and zero budget natural farming on its agenda. Now, in the name of talks, he is mocking negotiations by sending ministers to the agitators at Shambhu to fool the people and keeping the points and progress in the discussion ‘secret’ thus putting the farmers of the entire country in the dark. SKM raises questions over BJP’s policy of stubbornness towards solving basic problems of people and diverting their attention towards communal and religious disputes. SKM fought this on January 26, 2021 and is determined to unite the people across India to achieve victory.
SKM expresses its gratitude to all CTUs, other organisations of workers, students, youth, women, and cultural activists for having extended strong support to the February 16th action programmes and hopes that together we shall build a stronger movement on these demands and advance towards replacing the pro- corporate policies with pro-farmer, pro-worker and pro-people policies.
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