Rohit Kumar
Sri Vijaya Puram, 27 November 2024
In response to a nationwide call by central trade unions and the Samyukta Kisan Morcha, workers and farmers across India staged protests against the Modi government’s policies they deem harmful to workers and farmers. In the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) led a mass dharna and demonstrations, with significant participation from local workers.
At Tiranga Park, Aberdeen Bazar, Port Blair, CITU organised a public meeting that saw hundreds of workers from Sri Vijaya Puram and rural South Andaman come together in protest. B. Chandrachoodan, General Secretary of the CITU A&N State Committee, inaugurated the event, strongly criticising the central government for implementing policies that he claimed undermine the interests of the working class. He outlined several demands that central trade unions and farmer organisations across the country are rallying behind.
D. Ayyappan, Vice President of CITU A&N State Committee, addressed the gathering, delving deeper into the specific issues raised during the protest. He accused the Modi government of undermining labour rights by introducing four new labor codes, which replaced 29 labor laws that had been in place since the British era, laws originally intended to protect workers. Ayyappan also expressed concern over rising prices, particularly the cost of food items, stating that under BJP’s rule, the price of onions had skyrocketed from Rs. 15 per kilogram in 2014 to Rs. 130 per kilogram today, making it difficult for people in lower-income groups to manage daily expenses.
Other leaders, including CITU State Secretaries P. Sathyapal, Anand Rajan, and M. Yugander, also addressed the gathering, offering their support for the cause. R. Surendran Pillai, President of the CITU State Committee, who presided over the event, highlighted various anti-worker decisions taken by the A&N Administration over the years.
Similar protests were organised across other islands in the union territory, as CITU rallied workers and farmers in their ongoing struggle against policies they claim favour corporate interests over the welfare of the people.