New Delhi: A 24-hour nationwide strike called by trade unions against the BJP-led Union government’s policies – which they referred to as “anti-worker, anti-farmer and anti-national” and pro-corporate – began on Thursday, disrupting normal life in several States, with transport and banking services among those affected.
The general strike was organised by a joint platform of ten central trade unions, including the Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), the Hind Mazdoor Sabha (HMS), the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), the All India United Trade Union Centre (AIUTUC), the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), the All India Central Council of Trade Unions (AICCTU), the Labour Progressive Federation (LPF) and the United Trade Union Congress (UTUC). The platform said that nearly 30 crore workers had been mobilised across the country in support of the strike.
The strike evoked a mixed response across the country. In some States, including Gujarat, no major impact was reported. However, in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, transport services were affected as the strike disrupted normal operations. Protesters across the country took to the streets, staging marches and raising slogans in support of their demands.
Among the principal demands were the rollback of the Union government’s amendments to labour laws, the scrapping of the Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2025, and the Draft Seed Bill, 2025, and the cancellation of proposed new nuclear power projects. The unions also sought the reinstatement of revised provisions under the 100-day employment scheme, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), along with enhanced budgetary allocation.
Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi said he stands firmly with the concerns and struggles of workers and farmers across the country.
“Today, lakhs of laborers and farmers across the country are on the streets to raise their voice for their rights. Workers fear that the four labor codes will weaken their rights. Farmers fear that the trade agreement will hurt their livelihoods,” Rahul Gandhi wrote on X.
He also cautioned that any move to dilute or dismantle the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) would deprive rural communities of a crucial safety net.
“And weakening or eliminating MNREGA could take away the last support of the villages. When decisions were made about their future, their voices were ignored. Will Modiji listen now? Or does someone have a very strong grip on him? I stand firmly with the issues and struggles of the workers and farmers,” Gandhi said.
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