February 12 Bharat Bandh: Trade Unions Project Massive Nationwide Participation
February 12 Bharat Bandh: Trade Unions Project Massive Nationwide Participation
With a broad alliance of central trade unions standing firm, India is set to witness a nationwide general strike on February 12, with organisers estimating participation from nearly 30 crore workers across the country. The call for the Bharat bandh has been given by a joint platform of 10 central trade unions, which on Monday confirmed that preparations are complete and the protest will proceed as planned.
Union leaders say the strike is being organised to challenge policies they describe as “anti-worker, anti-farmer and tilted in favour of big corporates.” All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) General Secretary Amarjeet Kaur stated that this mobilisation is expected to surpass the scale of the July 2025 strike, when around 25 crore workers had taken part.
Sharing details of the groundwork, Kaur said the strike could affect close to 600 districts nationwide, an increase from about 550 districts during the previous agitation. She explained that these projections are based on extensive preparations at the district and block levels, with strong backing from farmers’ organisations and allied groups.
Responding to questions about the expected impact in states governed by the BJP, Kaur claimed that Odisha and Assam may see a “complete shutdown,” while many other states are also likely to experience major disruptions in daily activities.
In a statement issued by the joint forum of trade unions, it was confirmed that the Samyukt Kisan Morcha has extended full support to the February 12 strike and related mobilisation efforts. Agricultural workers’ unions are also joining the protest, placing special emphasis on demands linked to the restoration of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).
According to the unions, awareness campaigns have been carried out across government departments, public and private sector units, industrial areas, and both rural and urban regions. Student and youth organisations have also taken part in outreach activities in several states, while sections of the general public have expressed solidarity with the demands being raised. The forum added that strike notices have already been served in most sectors and industries, and preparations are now in a “full-fledged” stage.
Among the major demands put forward by the unions are the repeal of the four labour codes and their associated rules, along with the withdrawal of the Draft Seed Bill, the Electricity Amendment Bill, and the proposed Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Act. The unions are also calling for the restoration of MGNREGA and the scrapping of the Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, 2025.
Farmers’ organisations have reiterated their backing for the strike, describing it as a united response against privatisation, increasing contractualisation of jobs, and legislative changes affecting both labour and agriculture. Large-scale participation from farmers, agricultural labourers and industrial workers is expected at protest sites across the country.
In Himachal Pradesh, apple growers have intensified their preparations to join the nationwide agitation and have announced plans to march to Delhi. Farmer bodies have warned that recent reductions in import duties under various free trade agreements could seriously harm the state’s apple-dependent economy, despite assurances from Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal that growers’ interests would be protected.
During block-level meetings held in Jubbal and Rohru by the Himachal Pradesh Apple Growers’ Association, orchard owners resolved to mobilise farmers at the village level in support of the strike. Former MLA and farmers’ leader Rakesh Singha cautioned that lowering import duties on apples from the United States, New Zealand and European Union nations would expose local producers to heavily subsidised foreign competitors.
“The consequences of this policy will be far-reaching. Apple farming in the US is supported by massive subsidies and corporate giants such as Walmart and Cargill. Our farmers receive nowhere near that level of support. Cutting import duties like this will devastate apple orchards here,” Singha said.
