The state committee of the central trade union and the farmers’ organisation – Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) – organised a rally in Agartala on Tuesday to express their solidarity with the industrial strike and rural bandh called by the SKM and the central trade unions across India on February 16.
The rally was led by the state trade union and SKM leaders, including Sankar Prasad Dutta, Manik Dey, Pabitra Kar and others, and it covered various parts of the capital city of Agartala.
The rally was aimed at raising awareness and mobilising support for the strike and bandh, which are being held to oppose the policies of the central government that the trade unions and farmers claim are detrimental to their interests and the nation’s welfare.
The rally also highlighted the issues of unemployment, lack of job creation, and inadequate welfare schemes for the farmers.
Speaking at the rally, CITU leader Sankar Prasad Dutta said that the strike and bandh on February 16 are a way of showing the discontent and anger of the workers and farmers against the Modi government’s failure to provide jobs and welfare to them.
He criticised the Modi government for its alleged mismanagement of the economy and the pandemic, and accused it of breaking its promise of creating 2 crore jobs per year before 2018. He said that the youth of the country have been largely deprived of employment opportunities during the last 8 years of the Modi government’s rule.
A joint forum of trade unions and farmers’ bodies has announced a nationwide general strike and Grameen Bandh (rural shut down) on February 16, to protest against what they call the ‘anti-worker, anti-farmer and anti-national policies’ of the central government.
The forum has demanded the repeal of the three farm laws, the withdrawal of the labour codes, the rollback of the privatisation and corporatisation of public sector enterprises, and the implementation of a minimum wage of Rs 21,000 per month and a minimum pension of Rs 10,000 per month, among other demands.
The forum has also expressed its solidarity with the ongoing farmers’ agitation at the Delhi borders, and has called for the expansion of the protest to other parts of the country.
