Mangaluru: Farmers, workers, and activists staged a protest near the Clock Tower on Monday as part of the nationwide Jail Bharo movement, pressing for the fulfilment of various demands related to labour rights, agrarian concerns, and public welfare. The demonstration was jointly organised by the Forum of Central Trade Unions, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha, and other civic groups.Addressing the gathering, CITU Dakshina Kannada district general secretary Sunil Kumar Bajal criticised the central leadership. “Our freedom was hard-won from British imperialists through courageous struggle. Today, Narendra Modi-led Central govt is preparing to hand that independence over to American imperialists. Public anger is boiling over against corporate monopolies controlling the nation,” he stated.Bajal also condemned the state govt’s labour policies, calling them a major betrayal. “After failing to revise minimum wages for years, the Karnataka govt finally announced a revision on May 22 this year. However, yielding to heavy pressure from employers, they have moved to review and freeze the implementation, betraying millions of workers,” he said.Karnataka Prantha Raitha Sangha district president K Yadava Shetty strongly criticised the govt land policies and rural employment schemes. “The Modi govt is taking land forcefully and unjustly from the farmers who feed the nation to hand it over to corporate houses. Furthermore, after renaming Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) to Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin): VB-G RAM-G, the administration is actively attempting to strangle the entire programme,” Shetty said.CITU district president BM Bhat said, “This govt sells off national assets while claiming to protect the country. Despite promises of women’s safety, atrocities, rapes, and murders against women are surging nationwide. Instead of protecting students, the state acts brutally against them,” Bhat asserted.While the protesters blocked road, police intervened, detaining over 280 demonstrators before releasing them later in the day.
