'Workers to protest govt policies at UP Assembly today': State Congress President Ajay Rai
Feb 17, 2026
Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], February 17 : Uttar Pradesh Congress President Ajay Rai on Tuesday said that the Congress party workers will lay a siege to the State Assembly to raise issues such as the renaming of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and market demolitions.
Speaking to ANI, Rai said that the party workers have come from all parts of the state, and will lay a siege together at the Legislative Assembly.
"Our workers have come from different districts... Everyone has been sleeping in the State Committee office all night, including me... workers from all over the state. We will lay siege to the assembly in large numbers today. the workers' wages that the government has withheld for the past 11-12 months, the government's plan to scrap MGNREGA, the insult to women, workers, Shankaracharya, and Mata Ahilyabai Holkar, demolishing markets, ruining markets like the Dal Mandi... And then give all the land to the people from Gujarat... We will lay siege to the assembly on all these issues and will oppose it strongly..." he stated.
Earlier, last week, the workers and farmers across India participated in a nationwide strike, organised by several trade unions and parties to protest against the various central government policies, including labour codes, trade agreements, privatisation policies, and other policies perceived as anti-worker and anti-farmer.
Protesters carried banners, raised slogans, and chanted slogans such as "Inquilab Zindabad!" (Long live the revolution), "Shramika Ekta Zindabad!" (Long live workers' unity), "Kendra Sarkar Hosh Mein Aao!" (Central Government, come to your senses), and "Amara Dabi, Purana Hou!" (Fulfill our demands).
The strike, called by ten Central Trade Unions (CTUs) and fully backed by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), aimed to protest against a range of policies, including the four labour codes, privatisation and contractualisation measures, the Electricity Amendment Bill 2025, changes to the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), and the proposed Seed Bill.
