The All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS), an affiliate of the CPI(M), has said more than 4 lakh farmers and workers will march from Delhi's Ramlila Maidan to Parliament Street on Wednesday morning in a protest against the policies of the Narendra Modi government.
The Mazdoor Kisan Sangharsh Rally is being organised by the AIKS, CITU and AIAWU—all unions affiliated to the CPI(M). According to the organisers, the Mazdoor Kisan Sangharsh Rally will start from Ramlila Maidan at 9.00am and the protesters will march to Parliament Street.
The rally organisers declared on Tuesday that the Mazdoor Kisan Sangharsh Rally will not be the last protest against the “anti-people” policies of the Modi government.
"We will announce the second phase of our struggle and war against the government, whose anti-people policies are affecting the poor people of our country. This government is only making policies keeping in mind the interests of the corporate and the rich," Tapan Sen, CITU general secretary, said.
Sen, a key figure in the Mazdoor Kisan Sangharsh Rally, claimed, "This is the first time after independence that farmers and workers will jointly participate in a rally against the government,” and added it wouldn't be the last time.
The Mazdoor Kisan Sangharsh Rally is being organised to highlight 15 key demands of farmers and workers. These include curbing rising prices of essential commodities, providing universal social security, fixing a minimum wage of Rs 18,000 for workers and abolishing contractual employment.
While incessant rain in Delhi had hampered preparation for the Mazdoor Kisan Sangharsh Rally, both rally organisers and news agencies claim that activists from across the country—including Maharashtra, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala and Tamil Nadu—have arrived for the protest.
(With PTI inputs)
