‘Stand firmly with issues, struggles of workers, farmers’: Rahul Gandhi on Bharat Bandh

New Delhi: As the joint forum of central trade unions announced nationwide protests against the Centre’s labour and economic policies, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, on Thursday, extended his support, saying he stands firmly with the issues and struggles of workers and farmers.

Rahul Gandhi said that workers fear the four labour codes will weaken their rights, while farmers believe the India-US trade agreement could harm their livelihoods.

Taking to social media platform X, Rahul Gandhi wrote, “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.”

He further warned that weakening or eliminating the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) could take away the last support system for villages.

“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.

Farmer unions under the banner of SKM have announced nationwide protests, calling the interim India-US trade framework “a direct threat to Indian agriculture, dairy and rural livelihoods”. The unions have planned demonstrations across the country, culminating in a general strike.

The farmer unions have argued that the “framework contradicts” repeated assurances by Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal that agriculture and dairy would be kept outside Free Trade Agreements (FTAs). They also raised concerns over provisions in other recent FTAs, including those signed with New Zealand, the European Union (EU) and the UK.

Farmer organisations have further highlighted that tariffs on Indian goods entering the US have risen to 18 per cent compared to the period before US President Donald Trump introduced his so-called reciprocal tariffs.

The unions have demanded that the government clarify its stand on agriculture and dairy in trade negotiations and protect domestic farmers and rural workers from potential adverse impacts.

Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu is set to witness disruptions in banking, public services and sections of transport operations on Thursday as trade unions across the state join a nationwide general strike called to press the Union government to roll back key labour reforms and policy decisions.

The strike, observed across nearly 600 districts in the country, has been organised by 10 central trade unions, including the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) and the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU).

Trade union leaders claim that nearly 30 crore workers are participating in the protest.

In Tamil Nadu, the ruling DMK’s trade union wing, the Workers Progressive Association (WPA), has extended support to the strike.

Farmer groups under the banner of the Joint Kisan Morcha and several student organisations have also backed the agitation, broadening its support base.

The protesters are demanding the withdrawal of the four new labour codes, alleging they were passed without adequate consultation with state governments and trade unions. Other key demands include halting amendments to the Electricity Act, ensuring a five-day work week for bank employees, stopping privatisation of public sector undertakings, and condemning changes made to the rural employment guarantee scheme.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has also announced support for the nationwide Bharat Bandh. The AAP appealed to all workers, farmers, shopkeepers, small traders and common citizens in Punjab and across the country to make the Bharat Bandh a success in a peaceful manner.

The party said this bandh is not about any one political party, but about the self-respect, justice and rights of crores of hardworking people, and affirmed that the AAP stands on the frontline of this struggle.

The AAP condemned the BJP-led Union government’s “anti-worker labour policies and anti-farmer economic decisions”. It announced that its cadres across Punjab and the rest of the country would join the shutdown shoulder to shoulder with workers and farmers.

IANS