Final cry of workers’: Opposition cites Modi govt’s ‘failed policies’, labour codes for unrest

Public Lokpal
April 14, 2026

Noida: India's workforce is living under immense pressure due to the "failed policies" of the Narendra Modi government and there is a deep sense of despair among workers, the Congress said on Tuesday, a day after a nearly weeklong protest for higher wages turned violent in Uttar Pradesh’s Noida.

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi called the violence in Noida, where vehicles including police SUVs were torched, public property vandalised, and stone-pelting reported from industrial hubs – “the final cry of India’s workers.”

A labourer working in Noida earns a monthly wage of Rs 12,000 and faces a monthly rent burden of Rs 4,000 to Rs 7,000, he pointed out, adding that by the time they receive a meagre annual increment of Rs 300, their landlord has already hiked the rent by Rs 500.

"Before their wages can catch up, this unbridled inflation strangles life, plunging them into the depths of debt; this is the stark reality of 'Viksit Bharat'," Rahul wrote.

"As one female worker remarked, 'Gas prices keep rising, but our wages do not'. In the midst of this gas crisis, these individuals have likely had to purchase a single cylinder for as much as Rs 5,000 just to keep the stoves in their homes burning.”

This is not merely an issue confined to Noida, nor is it an issue unique to India alone, fuel prices are skyrocketing across the globe and supply chains have been disrupted due to the conflict in West Asia, he said.

"However, the burden of America's tariff wars, global inflation, and fractured supply chains has not fallen upon Modi Ji's industrialist friends. The heaviest blow has landed squarely upon the daily wage labourer – the one who must earn each day just to eat that same day," Rahul said.

"The labourer who played no part in any war, who drafted no policies, who simply did his work. Silently. Without complaint. And what does he receive in return when he demands his rightful dues? Coercion and oppression," the Congress leader said.

Another critical issue is that the Modi government, “in a hasty and unilateral move”, implemented four new Labour Codes effective November 2025, thereby extending the standard workday to 12 hours, Rahul said.

"Is the demand of a labourer, who stands and works for 12 hours every single day, yet still has to borrow money to pay his children's school fees, truly unreasonable? And is the one who systematically denies him his rights each day truly delivering 'development'?" Rahul asked.

Noting that labourers of Noida are demanding a wage of Rs 20,000, Gandhi said this is not greed, it is their right.

"I stand with every worker who is the backbone of this country, and whom this government has come to view as a burden," Gandhi said.

Tagging Gandhi's post, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said that for labourers and workers, the now-renamed and modified MGNREGA served as a safety net.

"Workers had the assurance that even if they returned to their villages, they would have guaranteed work or that their families back home could contribute to running the household by working under MGNREGA. However, the Modi government has used a 'bulldozer' to demolish even this lifeline for India's workers," Ramesh said in a post in Hindi on X.

"Our working-class brothers and sisters -- the very linchpin of India's progress-- have been left to bear the brunt of inflation on one hand, while on the other, the very foundation of their employment -MGNREGA -has been dismantled," he said.

The result is a deep sense of despair among the workers, Ramesh claimed and added that what transpired in Noida on Monday is a direct consequence of this situation.

"Today, India's workforce is living under immense pressure due to the failed policies of the Modi government," Ramesh said.

Awdhesh Mishra, a factory worker in Noida, told PTI Videos that the protest would continue till they get the salary they are demanding.

“We work 12 hours, but don't get the salary accordingly. What will we eat and save? We want a salary between Rs 18,000 and Rs 20,000."

The Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday revised workers’ wages upwards, but the workers said it was not enough.

"Can the government tell us what we will do with Rs 13,000?” Soni Singh, a factory worker, told PTI Videos.

“Companies have stopped providing food, LPG cylinders have become costly. We work for 12-14 hours but they give overtime of just three hours. We want Rs 20,000 salary."

Another worker said: "We thank the government for increasing minimum wages but we won't be able to survive on such an amount. We need more money. We pay Rs 5,000 as room rent, ration expense is Rs 4,000. What do we save?"

The Congress was not the only opposition party that took the side of the workers. RJD leader Manoj Jha underlined what he implied were wrong priorities of the government,

"Does 'decent wages' have any real meaning? Those who make policies should take a hard look in the mirror,” Jha said.

“Do you know why this became news? Because the elite faced inconvenience in traffic. Otherwise, are workers even visible in this country? Are farmers visible? So, instead of rushing, why not constitute a committee? Under Article 39 of the Constitution, take stock of the situation once.

“There’s so much urgency around the UCC, it is under Article 44,” Jha said. “Pause at Article 39 first and assess people’s incomes accordingly. Only then, perhaps, will you understand. Otherwise, on April 14, you will garland Babasaheb’s statue, but forget dignity, fraternity, and equality. This is becoming an era of forgetting these very values.