ON DECEMBER 14, Jantar Mantar became a focal point of labour dissent as hundreds gathered demanding the immediate rollback of the four central Labour Codes, which the Union government notified for implementation on November 21. Organised by the Mazdoor Adhikar Sangharsh Abhiyan (MASA), a joint coordination platform of fourteen workers’ organisations and trade unions, the protest was marked by sustained sloganeering and speeches that denounced what participants described as the corporatisation of labour law and the worsening precarity of the working class.
The Jantar Mantar protest formed part of a broader national mobilisation. MASA coordinated demonstrations across multiple states, including West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Odisha, Karnataka, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, with programmes held in Kolkata, Chennai, Patna, Bhubaneswar, Ludhiana, Davangere, and other cities.
Speakers highlighted concrete grievances arising from the Codes, including the Union government’s persistent refusal to engage in consultations with trade unions and its disregard for the tripartite framework. Despite reported police pressure and administrative constraints, the intensity of opposition—expressed through placards, impassioned speeches, musical performances, and resolute sit-ins, including significant participation by women workers—was unmistakable.
