Silent Strikes: Workers' Forgotten Struggles During the Emergency

During the peak of the Emergency in April 1976, Birla Cotton Textile Mill in Delhi intensified workloads, doubling the looms operated by each worker and extending their hours, according to CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat in her book, 'An Education for Rita.' This period is often remembered for its political strife but less so for its impact on workers' rights.

Karat recounts how workers' basic rights, including unionizing and striking, were nullified. She describes secret meetings and clandestine distribution of leaflets to organize a strike against escalating labor demands. The Emergency, she argues, gave management a free hand to impose unthinkable conditions on workers, a narrative often overlooked in the broader political discourse.

Karat also highlights the era's brutal relocations and demolitions for 'beautification,' which displaced workers far from their jobs. She draws attention to contemporary parallels, criticizing new labor laws as continuous threats to workers' rights and democracy, facilitated by the ruling BJP's majority in Parliament.

(With inputs from agencies.)