Agartala/ Belonia May 01: Also known as May Day, the Left leaders honored the working class and commemorated their struggles for fair wages and better working conditions on Wednesday as they celebrated 139th International Labor Day with due dignity.
Recalling the history and significance of the day, the left leaders in Belonia said, “The Revolutions of 1848’ with Karl Marx’s The Communist Manifesto left a severe impact on the working class. The subsequent events resulted in the birth of an umbrella body for socialists and communist organisations in 1864, known as the First International. Thousands of industrial workers in the city of Chicago in the United States went on a massive strike to demand better working conditions and a reduction in their work hours from 12-15 hours a day to eight hours daily. The movement spread throughout the country, rallying tens of thousands of workers”.
“On May 4, 1886, a bomb went off at a protest rally at the Haymarket Square in Chicago and ended in a riot as workers clashed with police. At least 11 people were killed. The incident which came to be known as the Haymarket massacre is historically referred to as the origin of May 1 as Workers’ Day”, they recalled.
Laying wreaths at the martyr’s dais, the left leaders remembered the bravehearts who laid down their lives on this day.
MLA Dipankar Sen, CPIM Belonia divisional secretary Tapas Dutta, South district committee secretary Basudev Majumder, farmers' leader Babul Debnath and other leaders were present in the event organized on this day.
Similar program was also held at the Melarmath Chatra Yuva Bhavan under the initiative of Krishak Sabha, Tripura State Committee.
Krishak Sabha, Tripura state secretary Pabitra Kar addressed the program and hoisted the party flag on the occasion.
Addressing reporters, he said, “Under the present BJP led government, the rights of the working class are in danger. Because of the anti-worker policies of the Modi government, the daily wagers are finding it difficult to earn two times meal”.
Urging the people to come forward and jointly raise voice against the present government and its misrule, Kar also pointed out the ‘unfulfilled promises’ of ‘increased mandays and wages’ given by the BJP government to the common people.
Meanwhile, International Labor Day was also observed at the CITU state office in presence of CITU state president Manik Dey, state secretary Shankar Prasad Dutta, leader Amal Chakraborty among others.