Samyukt Kisan Morcha, trade unions call for industrial, rural ‘bandh’ on February 16

New Delhi, January 17

The Samyukt Kisan Morcha and central trade unions have given a call for an industrial strike and bandh in rural areas across the country on February 16 against policies of the central government.

At a press conference here, representatives from different farmers’ organisations and trade unions gave a joint call for protests by workers and farmers all over India on February 16.

“SKM and CTUs noted with concern the current developments of the ruling corporate communal nexus, shamelessly siphoning off the national assets and finances to a handful of private corporates and paralyzing and capturing all the institutions of Indian democracy,” they said in a statement released here.

They said the SKM and the Joint Platform of Central Trade Union have been taking joint actions since November 2020 when the farmers’ protest started in Delhi.

“This government is aggressively pursuing anti-worker, anti-farmer and anti-people measures through various legislations, executive orders and policy drives,” the statement alleged, while calling for the bandh.

The trade unions are also backing the call for a tractor/vehicle parade at the district headquarters on January 26.

The workers and farmers are also jointly carrying a house-to-house awareness campaign from 10th to 20th January in all the villages across India, they said.

They appealed to all the like-minded groups to extend support to the joint campaigns.

The representatives also said that they want to construct a memorial for the farmers who lost their lives during the farmers’ agitation and urged Delhi and Haryana governments to provide land near the Singhu and Tikri borders for it.

Among those present were General Secretary of Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) Tapan Sen; Harbhajan Sidhu, GS, Hind Mazdoor Sabha (HMS); Amarjeet Kaur, GS, All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC); Ashok Singh, Vice President of Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC); and leaders of All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS), All India Kisan Khet Majdoor Sangathan (AIKKMS) and All India Kisan Mahasabha (AIKM).