Report of Mazdoor Ekta Committee correspondent
May Day program at party office
May Day was celebrated at the office of Communist Ghadar Party of India in Delhi on May 1, 2024 at 7 am. The red flag was hoisted as a salute to the martyrs of Chicago.
Mazdoor Ekta Committee workers and many local residents gathered in a meeting organized in front of the party office. They were holding placards in their hands with slogans written on them – ‘Long live May Day!’, ‘Red salute to the martyrs of May Day!’, ‘Fight to establish the rule of workers and farmers!’, ‘ Stop selling banks, railways, insurance, electricity, health and education!’, ‘Corruption is the companion of capitalism!’, ‘Unite against privatization and liberalisation!’, ‘Punish criminal capitalists who do not pay minimum wages! ‘, ‘Down with capitalism and imperialism!’, ‘We need secure employment and a life of dignity!’, ‘Stop suppressing the voices of those fighting for the welfare of the people!’, ‘Implement equal pay for equal work!’ etc.
The meeting began with enthusiastic slogans – ‘Long live the revolution!’, ‘Long live May Day!’ ‘Long live the martyrs of Chicago!’, ‘we will end exploitation and slavery, create a new society!’
On this occasion, Communist Ghadar Party spokesperson Comrade Prakash Rao hoisted the red flag and saluted the struggling workers of the country and the world. He said that May Day will continue to inspire the working class to keep up the fight to the end against exploitation and oppression.
Sucharita from Purogami Mahila Sangathan reminded the working class of its historical role in ending capitalist exploitation.
Comrade Birju Nayak explained that today the country is ruled by the capitalist class. The capitalists rule through their trusted parties like Congress Party, BJP etc. They spend billions of rupees to make that party win the elections, which will work to increase the profits of the big monopoly capitalist houses. But they try to mislead people that by voting people get the government of their choice. When these parties talk about development, they are talking about the rapid increase in the wealth of Tatas, Birlas, Ambani, Adani etc. The condition of workers, farmers and oppressed people is going from bad to worse. These parties of the capitalist class, which make big promises, have been incapable of providing us with clean drinking water in 75 years; they could not pay us living wages; could not provide equal access to education for all, and health care to all; they could not ensure security and respect for our sisters, mothers and daughters; they could not provide minimum support price to the farmers for their crops, could not free them from debt burden that forces them to commit suicide. Workers and farmers cannot have any expectations that these parties of the capitalist class will fulfill our demands and we will lead a happy life.
Birju Nayak said that we workers create the wealth of the country. We are not beggars who will be happy with the scraps thrown by them. We have a right to a salary to live a decent life. For this, we will have to become the masters of our country. Our party, the Communist Ghadar Party of India, is organizing us so that we can establish the rule of workers and peasants in this country and create a new society in which the happiness and security of the workers, farmers and toilers can be ensured.
The meeting concluded with the revolutionary song “Communist Ghadar Party ne lalkar lagai hai…”
The comrades took a rally in the areas around the party office, hoisting red flags and raising militant slogans. They resolved to spread the message of May Day.
Joint May Day program of trade unions in Delhi
On the occasion of International Labor Day on May 1, 2024, a traditional rally was taken out from Ramlila Maidan to Town Hall at Chandni Chowk under the leadership of the Joint Forum of Trade Unions of Delhi. A public meeting was held at the town hall. Workers from different sectors participated in this program in large numbers. There was militant participation of women workers.
The organizers of the joint May Day program were – All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), Mazdoor Ekta Committee (MEC), All India United Trade Union Centre (AIUTUC), United Trade Union Congress (UTUC), Indian Council of Trade Unions (ICTU), Hind Mazdoor Sabha (HMS), and Northern Zonal Insurance Employees Association (NZIEA).
Jan Natya Manch presented a play before the rally started from Ramlila Maidan,
The workers participating in the rally held placards with slogans written on them – ‘Implement minimum wage of Rs 26,000!’, ‘End the contractual system!’, ‘Give permanent employment to all!’, ‘Implement social security for workers in the unorganized sector!’, ‘Withdraw four anti-worker labor codes!’, ‘Stop privatization of railways, electricity, healthcare, education!’, ‘Grant MSP to farmers!’, ‘Down with Capitalist exploitation!’, ‘Carry on your united struggle against the program of liberalization and privatization!’, etc. The rally moved towards Chandni Chowk and the slogans like ‘Workers and farmers are demanding the red flag on the Red Fort!’, ‘India is demanding education for all, work for all!’, ‘Inquilab Zindabad!’ etc. attracted the attention of many people as the rally went forward.
Representatives of participating organizations addressed the public meeting. Everyone strongly condemned the anti-worker, anti-people and anti-national policies of the BJP central government. Referring to the electoral bond scam, they pointed out that it revealed the close nexus between big corporate houses, politicians and government officials.
Speakers emphasized the demands of secure employment as a basic right of working people, as also minimum wage, MSP for farmers, repeal of four labor codes, etc. They blamed the government for promoting communal discrimination, violence and hatred. The workers were called upon to strengthen their unity and defeat the conspiracies of the rulers. The efforts to determine the outcome of elections through money power, media control, and vote manipulation were condemned. Many speakers strongly condemned Israel’s genocidal war on the Palestinian people in support of US imperialism.
Comrade Santosh Kumar, speaker of Mazdoor Ekta Committee, in the public meeting, along with raising other demands, explained that we workers and farmers create all the wealth of the country; we have to become the owners of all the wealth and resources and steer the society in a new direction, so that we the working people can take decisions about the society and ensure a happy future for the workers, farmers, women and youth. This message of Mazdoor Ekta Committee was very inspiring.