DHUBRI, Aug. 10: Members of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS), All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA), Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) and Students’ Federation of India (SFI) staged a ‘Jail Bharo’ protest in Dhubri on Monday against what they described as the “anti-worker and anti-farmer” policies of the BJP-led Centre.
The protest formed part of a nationwide programme organised by the Left-affiliated organisations to mobilise public opinion against government policies they alleged were adversely affecting workers, farmers, agricultural labourers and other sections of society.
The organisations said the programme drew inspiration from the Quit India Movement of 1942 and called for an intensified struggle to protect the country’s resources and the rights of working people from what they termed “corporate-driven policies”.
In a joint statement, they alleged that workers’ rights and welfare measures, including pensions, medical benefits and wage-related provisions, were being curtailed. They also claimed that the closure of small and medium industries had resulted in job losses, while permanent employment was increasingly being replaced by contractual appointments and outsourcing.
On agriculture, the groups alleged that farmers were being displaced from agricultural land and that land was being made available to large corporate interests at low prices. They also criticised what they described as inadequate government support for landless farming families and agricultural labourers.
The organisations opposed eviction drives in various parts of Assam, including areas from Parbatjhora to the Kaziranga landscape, alleging that such operations were affecting farmers and ordinary residents. They also opposed the alleged eviction of Tiwa community members in the name of developing satellite cities.
More than 100 protesters took out a rally from the Dhubri railway station premises. The procession proceeded along Station Road before police detained the protesters and took them to Dhubri Police Station.
The organisers appealed to workers, farmers, agricultural labourers and other sections of society to join the movement against what they described as exploitation, displacement and curbs on democratic rights.
