April 5, 2023: Massive Workers and Farmers Rally Prepared for Intensifying Movement

PRESS RELEASE, 5 April 2023

Massive Workers and Farmers Rally Prepared for Intensifying Movement

New Delhi, 5 April: About a lakh of workers, peasants and agricultural workers crowded the Ramlila Grounds in Delhi today to participate in the Mazdoor-Kisan Sangharsh Rally called by (CITU) Centre of Indian Trade Unions, (AIKS) All India Kisan Sabha and (AIAWU) All India Agriculture Workers Union. Arriving from different States of the country, came to voice their demand for an end to the ongoing assault on their means of livelihood and for policies that allow access to education, healthcare and a dignified life for them and their children. The united action of workers and peasants expressed anger against the BJP government for destroying the wealth of the nation and determined protest against the hate campaigns to distract attention from the grave economic crisis engulfing the lives of the working people.

Enthused by the success of the yearlong farmers’ struggle and by the many recent victories against anti-people policies, people had made their way to Delhi from far and wide: Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, UP, Himachal Pradesh, J & K, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala, Karnataka, Tamilnadu, Madhya Pradesh, Bengal, Odissa, Assam, Tripura, Manipur, Chhattisgarh, goa, Gujarat. A six month long campaign in urban and rural districts of the country to mobilise people culminated in this massive assembly. Thousands of women workers and peasants were also part of the protest.

The massive rally was addressed by the leaders of the three organisations, K. Hemalata & Tapan Sen (President & General Secretary, CITU), Ashok Dhawale & Vijoo Krishnan (President & General Secretary, AIKS), A. Vijayaraghavan & B. Venkat (President & General Secretary, AIAWU). Leaders of 12 sectoral federations affiliated to CITU, organisations of employees of state and central governments, bank, insurance and BSN, AISGEF, CCGEU also addressed the rally. They warned the government that the rally was an indication of the surging anger of the working people of this country against the disregard of their basic needs while showering benefits on the big corporates. The deliberate destruction of wealth by selling large public sector establishments developed over decades at throwaway prices to private owners, depriving workers and peasants of their basic rights, inviting foreign capital to capture Indian agriculture and dairy sectors, indulging corrupt money swindlers in looting peoples’ hard-earned money, all this is being increasingly promoted by the present Govt. It is against such dangers and to save the country from capture by a few wealthy business cartels that workers and peasants have joined hands to launch an incessant and intensified movement throughout the country.

The Rally was organised by a joint preparatory committee chaired by eminent Economist Prabhat Patnaik.

A.R. Sindhu

Convener, Joint Preparatory Committee