Bharat Bandh sees labourers & farmers gather to protest

Time of India

15 hours ago

New Delhi: On a humid Wednesday afternoon at Jantar Mantar, some students stood quietly while the song "Sirf Kehne Ko Nahi Hai Hindustan Hamara" echoed softly.
At Delhi's most well-known protest site, a few hundred people had gathered — labourers, farmers, and some children.
The reason for their congregation was the All-India Labour Strike on July 9.
Ten unions have sounded their support. The
Bharat Bandh
was for protesting what participants described as govt policies favouring corporations over workers and farmers.
The ten unions that supported the strike are the Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), Hind Mazdoor Sabha (HMS), Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), All India United Trade Union Centre (AIUTUC), Trade Union Coordination Centre (TUCC), Self-Employed Women's Association (SEWA), All India Central Council of Trade Unions (AICCTU), Labour Progressive Federation (LPF) and the United Trade Union Congress (UTUC).
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At Jantar Mantar, when the students were asked if they had not missed school for being at the protest, one of them grinned. "We are accompanying our mothers," he said, and pointed to the daily-wage labourers of Batla House.
Among them was 70-year-old Shakuntala of HMS. She was sitting with her grandson. "I work as a daily-wage labourer in a factory, making handmade envelopes. For 1,000 envelopes a day, I earn a meagre Rs 50.
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I've come here today so that my grandchildren won't have to endure the same struggle," she said.
Ram Singh, a 71-year-old farmer from Mathura, was there wearing his Kisaan Mahasabha cap. When asked what had brought him to the protest, he spoke about the challenges farmers like him faced. "Many farmers lack financial security as we still depend on informal sources of credit. Another pressing issue is the problem of stray cattle in Uttar Pradesh.
With already low productivity, the damage caused by the animals eating our crops makes our situation worse.
"
Union leaders at the site addressed the 17-point charter submitted to the labour ministry under Union minister Mansukh L. Mandaviya.
Among the protesters was Hriday Kumar (65) from Jaunpur. "The strike's call compelled me to join. I've worked in a factory for 15 years on the same wage — not a rupee raised. I wasn't politically active before, but I've decided to step up for my children's future," he said.
A cluster of students sang songs honouring Bhagat Singh. Arvind Singh from Baliya stood out for his precise tambourine beats. "This movement is new to me, but playing the dafli has been a childhood passion. People may see it as political, but for me, it's a way to express what I can't say aloud," he said.
Among the younger attendees was 27-year-old Shilpi Negi, a bank employee who had her five-year-old daughter with her.
Though not active in the All-India Bank Employees Association, she said, "Even in the formal banking sector, we face serious challenges such as inadequate staffing and unfilled vacancies. There's also the looming threat of privatisation, which govt frequently keeps talking about. To be honest privatisation is one of the reasons why I am here today.
"
Harish Chandra Pant, who was in his 80s, had come from Uttarakhand. A CITU flag rested on his shoulder. Asked what keeps him involved in the movement, he said: "The issues faced by the poor labour class haven't really changed. That's the saddest reality. I've been part of the labour movement since the 1960s. It's disheartening that even now, I'm still fighting for basic rights, like better wages and more workdays under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA).
"