THE Centre of Indian Trade Unions salutes the people of the country for their spontaneous response to the call of countrywide bandh on December 8, 2020 demanding scrapping of the draconian pro-corporate farm laws and the Electricity Bill 2020.

In a statement issued on December 8, the CITU said that the bandh call was given by the united platform of peasants’ organisations who have been camping near the borders of the national capital in Delhi since November 26-27, 2020 pressing for outright repeal of the anti-farmer, anti-people and anti-national farm laws and the Electricity Bill 2020. The entire trade union movement has supported their struggles, agitations and mobilisations from the very beginning, right since the ordinances were promulgated by the Modi government. Scrapping of the draconian farm laws and Electricity Bill 2020, along with the labour codes, was one of the demands of the trade unions in their countrywide general strike on November 26.

The bandh was total, in both the towns and villages, paralysing normal activities in most of the states. Numerous demonstrations by workers, peasants, and other sections of toiling people were held in lakhs of locations in both cities and villages, on the highways and railway tracks throughout the country. Mass scale intimidation, arrests of the demonstrators by police, particularly in the BJP-ruled states could not deter the people in the least from their determined united action. The bandh reflects the anger and condemnation by the people, of the brazenly anti-people, barbaric and destructive policies of the government. 

CITU demands that the BJP government led by Modi concede the peasants’ demands, which are supported by the entire nation, as is reflected in today’s bandh. CITU demands the government to immediately repeal the three farm laws and withdraw the Electricity Bill 2020.

CITU once again reiterates its continued support to the genuine demands of the peasants and assures them of its total support in all forms, to their struggle to achieve them.