Left Holds ‘Jail Bharo’ Protest in Shimla and Mandi, Targets Centre Over Labour, Farm and Land Policies
SHIMLA/MANDI, August 10: The Left parties and mass organisations took to the streets in Shimla and Mandi on Monday as CITU, Himachal Kisan Sabha and other organisations held rallies, demonstrations and a “Jail Bharo” agitation against the policies of the BJP-led Central Government.
In Mandi town, protesters took out a rally and staged a demonstration before submitting a memorandum addressed to President Droupadi Murmu through the Deputy Commissioner. The protesters raised slogans against the government and demanded withdrawal of what they described as the anti-worker four Labour Codes.
The agitation was led by prominent Left leaders, including former MLA Rakesh Singha, former Shimla Mayor Sanjay Chauhan, Dr Kuldeep Singh Tanwar and Vijyendra Mehra, along with other CPM leaders and activists.
The protesters demanded that a statutory minimum wage of ₹42,000 per month be ensured for all workers. They also demanded that MGNREGA be restored and strengthened, with a guarantee of 200 days of employment every year and a minimum wage of ₹700 per day.
Attack on labour and economic policies
The organisations demanded withdrawal of the Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2025, the Seeds Bill, 2025, and proposed amendments to the National Food Security Act.
They opposed forced land acquisition and corporate-backed land pooling, demanding protection of land rights. They called for implementation of rights guaranteed under the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, the Forest Rights Act, 2006, and the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996.
The protesters also demanded immediate withdrawal of the smart meter scheme and an end to forced installation of smart meters.
They sought gratuity and pension benefits for all scheme workers, arguing that workers engaged under various government schemes have been denied adequate social security despite performing essential services.
Farmers demand MSP law and debt waiver
The Kisan Sabha demanded scrapping of the proposed India-US Free Trade Agreement, claiming that such trade arrangements could adversely affect Indian agriculture and farmers.
The protesters demanded a legal guarantee of MSP at C2+50 per cent for all crops, along with assured government procurement.
They also demanded a comprehensive rural debt waiver to address mounting indebtedness among farmers and rural workers and called for urgent measures to prevent suicides among farmers and daily-wage workers.
Congress, INDIA partners stay away
The Mandi agitation also highlighted the growing political distance between the Left and Congress in Himachal Pradesh.
Interestingly, neither Congress nor its INDIA alliance partners participated in the protest, despite the parties being broadly opposed to the BJP-led government at the national level.
The Left remained the principal political force mobilising on the ground in Himachal Pradesh against the Centre's labour, agricultural, land and economic policies. The absence of Congress and its alliance partners was particularly conspicuous in view of the aggressive political campaign against the BJP on several of these issues.
The protest thus exposed the continuing political isolation of the Left within the opposition camp in Himachal Pradesh, even as Left organisations continue to mobilise workers and farmers independently.
CITU Mandi district general secretary Rajesh Sharma, Himachal Kisan Sabha state committee member Joginder Walia, Suresh Sarwal, Gopendra, Surendra and Praveen, among others, participated in the demonstration.
The protesters warned that the agitation would be intensified if the Centre failed to concede their demands.I can also sharpen the headline into a more **hard-hitting Himbumail-style political headline** if required.
