May Day Celebrations in Trans-Yamuna Area of Allahabad

On the occasion of the 132nd anniversary of May Day and in the 200th birth anniversary year of Karl Marx workers across the rural belt in trans-Yamuna paid homage to Marx and pledged to intensify struggles for their rights, stated a media release.

Meetings were held in several villages including Jamaurha (Ganne), Ramna, Hadhi in Shankergarh, Sadwan near Jari, Jagdishpur, Pratappur, Baswar along Jamuna and Nivhi along Ganga, it was informed.

Workers resolved to build struggles on issues of granting them mining rights in stone quarries and in river bed sand mining, an end to mafia control over and police goonda taxes in gravel and sand trade, grant of 3-acre farmland pattas and house sites to landless workers, free domestic electricity, the minimum daily wage of Rs. 500 in MNREGA, insurance for all rural workers, the supply of 50 kg food grain and others food needs and an end to corruption in PDS and a comprehensive legislation for rural workers, the release added.

The workers garlanded a portrait of Karl Marx, the greatest teacher of the working class who established the scientific principle of socialist revolution, established its inevitability arising from capitalist crises and inspired generations of workers to struggle for socialism.

They also paid homage to the memory of May Day martyrs, Fischer, Engels, Parson, and Spies, who led the struggle for full survival wages in an 8-hour working day.

Dedicating themselves to this struggle the speakers explained the poor working conditions in cities and industries and emphasised the need to struggle against job losses, contract labour, wage depression, non-implementation of labour laws, cuts in social security of workers and denial of the right to organise and struggle. These policies of BJP / RSS governments are to serve big corporates and foreign companies, invite them to invest by selling India’s rich mineral and water resources, green farmland and cheap labour, stated the media release.