Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday backed nationwide protests by workers and farmers demanding protection of their rights. He flagged concerns over labour reforms, trade policies, and potential changes to the rural jobs programme MGNREGA.“Workers fear that the four labour codes will weaken their rights. Farmers are apprehensive that the trade agreement will harm their livelihoods. And weakening or scrapping MGNREGA could snatch away the last lifeline of villages. When decisions affecting their future were taken, their voices were ignored,” he said through a post on X.“Will Modiji listen now? Or is the “grip” on him too strong? I stand firmly with the workers and farmers on their issues and their struggle,” Rahul added.An all-India general strike called by ten Central Trade Unions (CTUs) and backed by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) on Thursday is aimed at opposing a range of government policies, including the four labour codes, privatisation and contractualisation measures, the Electricity Amendment Bill 2025, changes to MGNREGA and the proposed Seed Bill.Large-scale participation from farmers, agricultural workers and industrial unions is expected at protest sites across the country, with power sector employees, PRTC staff and other worker organisations also set to join.In a statement, the SKM said the strike seeks the withdrawal of the four labour codes, the Electricity Bill 2025, the Seed Bill 2025 and the VB-G RAM G Act 2025, among other demands. It also called for the restoration of the old pension scheme and the implementation of minimum wages for all workers, including scheme workers.Communist Party of India (CPI) leader and All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) working president Binoy Viswam expressed full support for the nationwide farmers’ strike, describing it as a movement to defend people’s basic rights.Apple farmers in Himachal Pradesh have also intensified preparations to join the nationwide farmers’ strike on February 12 and announced a march to Delhi, warning that recent import duty reductions under India-US and other free trade agreements could hurt the state’s apple-based economy.They expressed concern that cheaper imports could impact local growers, despite repeated assurances from union commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal that the interests of Indian apple farmers will be safeguarded.While several trade unions and farmer organisations have decided to join the strike, the National Front of Indian Trade Unions (NFITU) said it would not participate, describing the protest as “politically motivated.”
