250 million Indian workers and farmers strike, breaking world record

12-03-2020 • People's World

n Thursday, Nov. 26, India witnessed the biggest organized strike in human history. Over 250 million workers and farmers, along with their allies among student, women's, and civil society groups, participated in the nationwide strike. Now, a week later, farmers continue to occupy the capital city, and labor leaders are vowing this is only the beginning. The work stoppage coincided with India's Constitution Day, which commemorates the adoption of the constitution in 1949, and came in response to an unprecedented attack on workers' rights and farmers' protections by the right-wing government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic has pushed India into a veritable recession, exacerbating existing inequalities and deprivation. The country's gross domestic product (GDP) has declined by a record 23.9%, while unemployment has soared to an unprecedented 27%. Amidst such an all-around crisis, the right-wing government led by the Bharati