Farmers are not getting fair prices for their crops, and agricultural laborers in villages are without work. Workers lack job security and the protection of labor laws. On Monday, August 10, working people from all sectors across the country will participate in ‘Jail Bharo’ (fill the jails) and ‘Rasta Roko’ (road blockade) programs.
Ashok Dhawale, President of the All India Kisan Sabha and a key organizer of the ‘Jail Bharo’ movement, announced this in a special message on Sunday.
The programme for August 10 was finalized during a joint convention of all central trade unions and various farmers’ and agricultural workers’ organizations held in Delhi on July 29.
In a special message on Sunday, Dhawale stated that, on top of this, the Narendra Modi government is entering into a trade agreement with the United States. The consequences are set to be disastrous. It is not just farmers and workers who will face grave danger; small and medium-scale entrepreneurs will also be severely affected. There is no other option but to take to the streets.
Dhawale stated that students and the youth across the country are repeatedly taking to the streets in protest. Students face exorbitant educational costs compounded by corruption in the examination system, while the youth are left without jobs. Opportunities for secure employment in organizations that adhere to labor laws have been snatched away. There is only one reason for this: the Modi government has set out to fatten the coffers of a handful of corporate entities.
Workers, farmers, and agricultural laborers state that labour codes have been introduced to replace 29 existing labour laws. Provisions have even been made to treat actions such as wage-related protests as criminal offenses. Rights regarding working hours, workplace safety, and minimum wages have been stripped away, as has the right to form trade unions.
Dhawale pointed to the plight of farmers, noting that the Seed Bill and the bill for the privatization of electricity spell disaster for them, while monopolistic profits go solely to capitalists. Meanwhile, the Modi government is adamantly refusing to enact a law guaranteeing minimum crop prices. There is also manipulation in the calculation of these minimum prices; the Swaminathan Commission had recommended adding 50 percent to the actual cost of cultivation, yet government records are underestimating these costs.
Dhawale added that agricultural laborers are in dire straits because the ‘100-day work’ scheme has been dismantled in villages and the agricultural sector is struggling. They are finding no work and receiving no wages.
It is worth noting that slum development associations in West Bengal have also joined the ‘Fill the Jails’ movement. The BJP government in the state has explicitly announced its intention to repeal the Urban Land Ceiling Act. Slum dwellers—primarily working-class individuals who migrated from villages to cities in search of employment—will be the first to face the consequences.
Campaigning for the ‘Jail Bharo’ (Fill the Jails) programme took place across various parts of the state on Sunday.
Calling upon the people, Dhawale stated that August 10 is not a day to stay indoors; rather, it is a day to join the ‘Jail Bharo’ or ‘Rasta Roko’ (road blockade) protests. The central government must change its policies; otherwise, the working class will change the government.
@freemang2001gmail-com
