Modi govt to face strikes in LS polls run-up

The Narendra Modi government will face the increasing number of agitations in the run-up to Lok Sabha elections with All India Kisan Sabha announcing a 'Grameen Bharat Bandh' on January 8, 9 coinciding with trade unions' national strike.

The trade unions' national strike is also likely to get the support of Bhumi Adhikar Andolan, a group of 106 organisations including AIKS.

The AIKS will also join the fast protest announced by ex-servicemen demanding One Rank, One Pension (OROP) from January 27 ahead of Budget Session of Parliament.

On Tuesday, DH had reported that a "broad platform" of students, teachers, university employees and civil society organisations will organise a march against Modi government on February 19 with the slogan 'Save Campus, Save Education, Save Nation'.

Announcing the 'Grameen Bharat Bandh' (rural India Bandh), AIKS General Secretary Hannan Mollah told reporters on Tuesday that the farmers' outfit will support the united trade unions' call for a strike.

"Primarily, the trade unions' strike is in urban areas and in industrial belts. We want to extend it to rural areas. Raising farmers' issues, along with the trade unions' call, we have called a rural India Bandh on the same days when we will block road and rail traffic," Mollah said.

During this protest, the AIKS will raise the issues of loan waiver, ensuring minimum support price (MSP) for farmers and issues of agricultural workers.

"We support the trade unions' call. A counter-narrative against the BJP can be built only through farmers and workers' struggle," AIKS president Ashok Dawale said.

On supporting the OROP protest, Mollah said AIKS activists will sit on a relay fast along with ex-servicemen, who had earlier supported the farmers' protests in Delhi.

"In rural India, every house has a farmer and a soldier. The Modi government has betrayed both them. So we are supporting the jawans," he said.

Mollah said they will have to keep the momentum going till the Lok Sabha polls to ensure that all parties address the concerns of farmers.

Both Dhawale and Mollah said the newly-formed Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh governments announced loan waivers soon after swearing-in due to the struggles of farmers in past four years.

“It is not out of their kindness that they did it. We forced them do it,” Mollah said. Dhawale said the MP government should set the date of loan waiver till December 31 and not till 31 March, 2018 as announced.