Sarwahara

[हिंदी में रिपोर्ट पढ़ने के लिए यहां क्लिक करें।]

Delhi, 4th May 2025: On the 139th International Workers’ Day, a mazdoor paricharcha was organised by the Delhi unit of IFTU (Sarwahara) on aforementioned topic at Palam, in which workers from sectors like manufacturing, construction, domestic work etc. participated from different areas of Delhi (Mayapuri, Dwarka, Palam etc) and NCR.

The presidium comprised comrades Ramdayal (press employee), Bharat (Power press factory worker), Anita (documentation centre employee), Firasat (construction worker) and Siddhant (labour activist). The proceedings started with a welcome note by comrade Siddhant. Before the discussion began, a minute’s silence was observed in memory of all martyrs of the revolutionary working class struggle against capitalism and its evils, followed by a song presentation by Arunodaya cultural team – ‘Tu Zinda Hai Tu Zindagi Ki Jeet Me Yakeen Kar’.

The discussion began with a detailed speech on the topic by comrade Mukesh Aseem, followed by different speakers most of whom were workers viz. Ramdayal, Radheshyam, Tahseen, Firasat, Md. Israfil, Bharat, Deepali, Keshav, Ramkumari, Shankar and Shailee. Raju (a shoe factory worker) along with his speech, also presented a revolutionary song in Magahi – ‘Badalal Ho Deswa Ke Khakha’ (Change the country’s power structure).

The speakers talked about the historic 1886 May Day movement of Chicago that led to the eventual worldwide implementation of the 8 hour workday, and explained how it wasn’t limited to economic demands alone. The working class then raised the question of political power in the face of the exploitative rule of the capitalist class, and it was because of this revolutionary fervour that the capitalist state suppressed the heroic struggle with horrific brutality and hanged the labour leaders in haste. Speakers also referred to the significance of various labour movements that arose even before 1886 with the demand of limited working hours and against blatant exploitation, and the historic ‘Paris Commune’ – the first ever rule of workers in the world that was established in France in 1871.

The speakers discussed that the world capitalist system is caught in a seemingly endless crisis today from which no signs of recovery are visible. Owing to this, the capitalist regimes are putting the entire burden of the crises on the shoulders of the toiling and common masses, the direct result of which is the reckless implementation of neo-liberal policies, collapse of the labour law system (and the advent of Labour Codes), and skyrocketing unemployment and inflation. Strangulation of the democratic constitutional system which, even though to a limited extent, is an obstacle in the way of unbridled exploitation; the advent of fascism, which is essentially the naked and most vicious form of capitalist dictatorship; and the sponsored spread of religious fundamentalism, jingoism, terrorism and casteism among the working people – all these are symptoms and repurcussions of the crisis-ridden decaying system of capitalism-imperialism.

In this context, the speakers appealed that today when the ruling classes have waged a war against us with the intention of dragging us back centuries, it has become imperative for the working class to gear up to give a befitting reply. Its prerequisite is that the working class, overcoming the divisions of religion, caste, region and race, must re-arm itself with its real weapon i.e, its revolutionary ideology. Only on this basis, without limiting itself to immediate economic demands and keeping the question of political power at helm, can it replace the capitalist class from the driver’s seat of society, and free the world, nature and humanity from the shackles of capital and greed. Our political-organizational work today should be aimed accordingly.

During the discussion, a poem ‘Hum Mazdoor Hain’ written by Suraj (a factory worker) was recited and a revolutionary song ‘Lal Jhanda Le Kar Comrade’ was also presented by the cultural team. In the end, Comrade Vidushi gave the concluding speech and vote of thanks, after which the discussion concluded with the united recital of the working-class anthem ‘Internationale’ along with reverberating slogans.