Red salutes to the martyrs of the first General Strike - strengthen worker-peasant unity.

40 years ago it was on this day, i.e., on 19th January,1982, the first country - wide General Strike was organised by the Indian working class. The strike was organised by the Sponsoring Committee of the Central Trade Unions” and “National Federations”. It was supported by the opposition parties like Janata Party, BJP, CPI(M), CPI, Lokdal, Forward Block, RSP and the DSP. The charter of demands of the strike included, food and other essential commodities at reasonable prices to the people, remunerative prices for the peasants and minimum wages for the agricultural workers. This General Strike  was joined by the workers, peasants and agricultural workers. Ten comrades were killed in this strike by police brutalities, in different parts of the country. Among them, many were poor agricultural workers. In Tamil Nadu alone, 3 agricultural workers were killed in police firing. Despite severe repressions,  the strike was a resounding success and it gave birth to the slogan of “ Worker-Peasant Unity”. Today, when the Modi government is bulldozing the country with it’s  pro-corporate policies and is launching all out attacks on the working people, the spirit of “Worker-Peasant Unity” has to be strengthened. This is the lesson that we have to learn from the first General Strike, that shook the nation 40 years ago. Red salutes to the martyrs.

[Date : 19 - Jan - 2022]