SAVE India! India Belongs to its People!

We, the toiling people will not allow it!

This was the strong message given to the BJP government led by Modi and the corporate class by the people of our country on August 9, 2020, on the historic ‘Quit India’ Day.

Slogans ‘Yeh desh hamari, tumhari; nahin kisi ke baap ki’ (This country belongs to all of us; it is not personal property of anybody) and ‘Tum bechne chahte ho; hum bikne nahin denge’ (You want to sell; we will not allow) reverberated across the country.

The call to observe ‘Save India’ day on August 9, 2020, commemorating the ‘Quit India’ movement against the British that was started on the same day in 1942 was given by the joint trade union platform comprising ten central trade unions and almost all the independent industrial federations. They have called upon the working class to observe satyagraha/‘jail bharo’ or any form of protest as per the local situation.

CITU, AIKS and AIAWU have also jointly called for ‘jail bharo’ demanding jobs, income and food and rescinding of the recent ordinances and notifications on amendments to labour laws, Essential Commodities Act and Agricultural Produce Marketing Cooperative (PMAC) Act etc.

The Bhumi Adhikar Andolan and All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee comprising nearly 200 peasants’ organisations in the country have extended their total support and decided to participate in the protest actions highlighting the specific demands of the peasants.

Thus, all the major class organisations of the workers, peasants and agricultural workers called for protests against the anti-worker, anti-peasant and anti-national policies of the government – on the same day with almost the same demands. This was supported almost by all other sections of people – women, youth, students and others. In many places, protest demonstrations were held jointly while in some states, separately.

The situation in the country was not very conducive for mass mobilisations on large scale. Covid continues to spread in many states. Several state governments have imposed total lockdowns on weekends; earmarked containment zones; sealed borders; imposed Sec 144 etc ostensibly to contain the virus. In many states, public transport was highly restricted. There was also fear among people about Covid 19. In addition, rains and floods were creating havoc in some states like Assam, Bihar etc.

Despite this, the participation of workers, peasants and common people in the observance of ‘Save India Day’ was beyond expectations. Around one crore people have reported to have participated in the protests in over 2.5 lakh places across the country. Hundreds of activists were arrested. As was being witnessed during this period, CITU activists in Jammu and Kashmir, including in the Kashmir valley participated in the protests despite all the difficulties in the state. In Tripura and West Bengal, police unsuccessfully tried to obstruct the programme. Arrests took place in Andhra Pradesh, three districts in Chattisgarh, two cities in Gujarat, in Rajasthan, in Tripura, West Bengal etc. The workers scuffled with police in Punjab, when they tried to obstruct them.

This shows the extent of anger among the people against their deteriorating conditions – loss of jobs, wage cuts, retrenchments and attacks on their existing benefits and basic rights. The peasants are already facing difficulties due to the amendments to the PMAC. Many skilled migrant workers who were forced to return to their villages find no work and are seeking work under MGNREGS. But adequate work is not being provided under the scheme. Neither are jobs available in the towns and cities.

The participation of people in large numbers also shows their commitment to ‘Save India’ from being mortgaged by the government to corporate interests, including to foreign monopolies, under its wholesale privatisation project. It indicates the anti- imperialist instincts prevalent among our people and their urge for real self reliant development of our country, which is being destroyed by the BJP government led by Modi, in the name of ‘Atmanirbharata’.

It is this anger and distress against the BJP led government’s heinous use of the lockdown period to attack the people’s livelihood and living conditions and sell the country’s wealth to the big corporates, domestic and foreign, that led to the huge mobilisations. Till today, the BJP government led by Modi totally ignored people’s demands for cash transfer of Rs 7,500 per month for six months, 10 kg free food grains per person per month to all needy, increasing work days under MGNREGS to 200 days in a year with enhanced wages and its extension to urban areas.

The all India joint protests by the road transport workers’ organisations on August 5 and the magnificent two days’ strike by scheme workers on August 7-8, acted as prelude to the ‘Save India’ Day demonstrations.

Most of the components of the joint platforms made conscious efforts to jointly campaign and take the issues and demands to wider sections of the people. In addition to the frequent meetings of the central leadership of CITU, AIKS and AIAWU, meetings of their state and district level leadership were held in many states to plan the joint campaign. Joint leaflets and posters were released. Similarly, joint leaflets and posters were also issued by the state and many district committees of the trade unions which are part of the joint trade union platform. There was much improvement in such joint efforts in the campaign for the August 9 ‘Save India Day’. Because of the total lockdown, curfew and Sec 144 in force, the protests were held on August 10 in some places in some states like Odisha, West Bengal, Assam etc

Another significant aspect of the observation of August 9 ‘Save India’ Day was the participation of large numbers of employees of different sections. Around 2000 IT employees participated in the protests in different forms, both physically and digitally. Members of All India IT and ITES Employees’ Union (AIITEU), affiliated to CITU, in several places including in Delhi and Kolkata physically participated in the demonstrations. In Hyderabad, they participated digitally. Members of Association of IT and ITES Employees (AITE) in Kerala, affiliated to CITU, Union of IT and ITES Employees (UNITE) in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka IT employees’ Union (KITU) in Karnataka participated by holding placards in front of their houses and also through digital media.

The All India Loco Running Staff Association (AILRSA) gave a call separately for all their members to hold demonstrations in support of the ‘Save India’ call of the central trade unions and peasant organisations. Thousands of loco running staff in different parts of the country held demonstrations in the railway stations and yards. The Eastern Railwaymen’s Union, Daskhin Railway Employees’ Union (DREU), Chittaranjan Locomotives Works (CLW) and Integrated Coach Factory (ICF), workers participated in the demonstrations as per the call of their unions. In addition in several places, Guards’ Council members and members of All India Station Masters’ Association (AISMA) also joined the demonstrations.

Thousands of defence, BSNL, bank, insurance, central and state government employees, and LIC agents joined the protests in almost all the states.

Over 1000 workers, large number of them women, participated in the demonstration at Jantar Mantar in the national capital, Delhi. Leadership of the joint kisan movement also joined the demonstration and addressed the gathering. Many activists of women’s, youth and students’ organisations also joined the demonstrations and expressed their solidarity.

Hundreds of workers participated in the joint demonstration held at Azad Maidan in Mumbai, from where the call for ‘Quit India’ was given by Gandhiji on August 9, 1942.

CITU and other trade unions congratulated the working class, peasantry and all sections of toiling masses for their huge participation in the ‘Save India’ protests. They called upon the people to be prepared to resist the anti-people and anti- national neoliberal policies and defy them through higher forms of struggles in the coming days. At the same time, they have appealed to all of them to take care of their health and protect themselves, their families, friends and comrades from Covid-19 by following the health protocols like maintaining physical distance, wearing masks etc.