Parlakhemundi,(Tarini Prasad Panda): The day-long all-India general strike called by labor and peasant organizations against the anti-people and pro-corporate policies of the BJP-led central government has turned into a shutdown in Gajapati district today. On the call of the agitators, vehicles and shops were closed in various parts of the district today and various government offices were closed. It is worth mentioning here that the central government has repealed 29 labor laws and brought 4 labor codes in the interest of corporates to protect workers and employees. Along with this, the BJP-led state government has also amended the last assembly by increasing the previous eight-hour work day to ten hours and allowing women to do night duty. The All India General Strike was called by the All India Workers’ Organization and the United Kisan Morcha today demanding the repeal of the above Labour Code which takes away the rights of workers and employees, the withdrawal of the BVG Ramji Act which replaced the MRNEGA Act which gave the right to work for 100 days to rural workers, and the withdrawal of the proposed anti-people Electricity Bill and the anti-farmer and anti-farmer Seed Bill.
Today in the morning, hundreds of workers and supporters of the workers and farmers’ organizations of the district came out of the old court square in Paralakhemundi and gathered at the Fire Station square and held a protest meeting. The event was led by AIKMS District Secretary Kedar Shabar, Kaduka Shabar, IFTUR Karuga Shabar, AIKS Dandapani Rait, M Bangari, AITUC Narasinh Malvisoyi, Ranjan Mohapatra, Mahendra Tanaya, Construction Workers’ Union Israel Mali, INTUC Jasmin TUCC P Murali and others. The strike was observed under the leadership of the United Kisan Morcha and trade unions for their support to today’s strike and strike.
