India Aghadi, a coalition of opposition parties, including the Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) and Goa Forward, has accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of diluting labor laws to favor industrialists and ignoring the welfare of workers.
During a press conference held at Congress House, GPCC Vice President Sunil Kavathankar, along with Goa Forward Secretary Durgadas Kamat and senior Rashtravadi Congress leader Avinash Bhosale, condemned the BJP government’s alleged neglect of workers’ issues.
Kavathankar claimed that the BJP’s amendments to labor laws were aimed at benefiting industrialists rather than the public, asserting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration prioritizes corporate interests over worker rights. He warned against the BJP’s purported plans to introduce the “webigar system,” which he alleged would exploit laborers if the party retains power.
Highlighting the promises made by the opposition coalition, Kavathankar emphasized the commitment to ensuring a national minimum wage of Rs. 400 per day through the “Shram ka Sanman” initiative, along with comprehensive health insurance coverage and urban employment guarantees.
Referring to the track record of Congress-led governments in Telangana and Karnataka, Kavathankar pledged that the coalition would fulfil its electoral promises to benefit the people once in power.
Senior Rashtravadi leader Avinash Bhonsale criticized the BJP’s handling of economic policies, alleging that measures such as demonetisation had caused hardship for the public while benefiting the ruling party through electoral bonds.
Echoing the sentiments of the coalition, Kamat accused the BJP of failing to regularize contract workers, citing the plight of thousands of employees in government departments working under precarious conditions.
The opposition coalition concluded by characterising the BJP government as anti-worker, anti-poor, and anti-farmer, pledging to prioritise the welfare of marginalised sections of society if elected to power.
