Eighty-four years ago, from the August Kranti Maidan in Mumbai on 8 August 1942, Mahatma Gandhi gave the ultimatum to the hated British imperialist rule to ‘Quit India’. He also called upon the people of India to join this struggle in a big way with the slogan, ‘Do or Die’, or ‘Karenge ya Marenge’. From 9 August, a huge nationwide uprising began which continued intensively for over three months, and in various forms for over three years.

Historical records estimate that in the Quit India movement, well over 1,000 people were killed in police or military firing, more than 3,000 were injured, and over 90,000 people were detained for long periods of time, including the national leadership of the struggle.

Savage Repression: RSS-BJP Ape British Rule   

The savage repression unleashed by the police of the RSS-BJP’s Modi-Shah regime on thousands of students and youth, including hundreds of girl students and young women, in the nation’s capital Delhi on the opening day of Parliament’s monsoon session on 20 July 2026, tragically took the country back to the terrible days of British colonial rule. The same repression was repeated in BJP-ruled states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Bengal, Assam, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and even in the Congress-ruled state of Kerala! 

The Gen-Z, not only in Delhi, but in over 100 cities and towns across the country, fought this state repression head on and, after a 36-day struggle, won a famous victory over the Modi-Shah-led dictatorial regime on 25 July. Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan was forced to resign. The novel student-youth struggle was centered on their legitimate issues of examinations, education, and employment. All three sectors are in deep crisis today.

As a matter of fact, it is not only examinations, education, and employment, but all other major sectors in India which are in deep crisis. They include the economy, agriculture, irrigation, industry, electricity, nutrition, health, foreign trade, and even foreign policy – This crisis has been aggravated by the last 12 years of the RSS-BJP government’s pro-corporate, pro-imperialist, anti-people, authoritarian, corrupt, communal, and manuwadi policies.

Further, in these last dozen years, the Modi regime has constantly attacked the productive classes – workers, peasants, and agricultural/rural workers, the socially oppressed – dalits, adivasis, minorities, and women, and also students and youth, with a vengeance. On the other hand, it has fattened all its corporate cronies like the Adanis and Ambanis no end. It has surrendered to US imperialism in every area, to the detriment of our national interest.

Stark Inequalities

The level of socio-economic inequality in India is stunning, and it is constantly growing. As per the recent Survey done by Oxfam International for 2023, 1% of the richest Indians owned 40.1% of all the wealth, and 10% of the richest Indians owned 77.4% of all the wealth in our country. On the other hand, the wealth owned by the bottom 60% was only 4.8%.

As per the Forbes data, the number of Indian billionaires in 1991, when the neoliberal policies began, was only 1, with a wealth of 1-2 billion US dollars. In 2025, their number rose to 205, with a combined wealth of 941 billion US dollars, which is nearly 1 trillion! The wealth of the top 9 billionaires is equal to the wealth of the bottom 50% of Indians!    

According to the World Inequality Lab, the concentration of wealth in the top 1% of Indians is at its highest level in over six decades, exceeding levels recorded during much of the post-independence period. The present Indian economy has been described by economic experts as “more unequal than the British colonial Raj” in terms of top income concentration.

Some social inequality indicators are equally stark. According to the Maternal Mortality Ratio 87 deaths per 100,000 live births (2022-24). This varies enormously across states, with some recording rates several times higher than others. According to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), which is India’s largest, 35.5% of children under 5 years are stunted, reflecting chronic undernutrition. Anaemia among women (15–49 years) is 57%; among children (6–59 months) it is 67.1%; and among men (15–49 years) it is 25%. About 63 million Indians are pushed into poverty every year because of out-of-pocket healthcare expenses.

Unemployment is unprecedented. However, there are almost 50 lakh sanctioned posts lying vacant in various government departments. Over 90% of India’s workers are employed in the informal sector, without formal contracts, pensions, or social security benefits. Women account for less than one-third of India’s labour force, despite making up nearly half the population.

The National Education Policy 2020 has pushed commercialization, corporatization, communalization, centralization and corruption of education, throwing it out of reach of crores of urban and rural families. Almost 152 examination question papers have been leaked in the last 10 years, to the great detriment of lakhs of students and their parents. According to the latest census estimates, over 17% of urban households live in slums. Although almost all villages are officially electrified, access to reliable electricity, piped water, sanitation, and quality healthcare is overall very poor and vary greatly by income and region.

Clarion Call for ‘Quit India Day’ Protests

And that is why, to commemorate the ‘Quit India’ movement, farmers’ organisations under the banner of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) and workers’ organisations under the banner of the Central Trade Unions (CTU) have given a co-ordinated clarion call for massive nationwide protests on 10 August 2026 (since 9 August this year happens to be a Sunday). Before this, on 28 July, the SKM held its national convention, and on 29 July, the SKM-CTU held their national convention, both in Delhi. The 10 August call was given in both.

The actions on 10 August 2026 will take myriad forms of Jail Bharo, Chakka Jaam, gherao of government offices, rallies, demonstrations, and dharnas. Along with workers, peasants and agricultural labourers, women, youth and students hailing from all religions, castes, and regions will throng these massive protests. They will attack the abysmal failure of the corporate-backed anti-people, communal, manuwadi, and fascistic Modi government on all fronts.

A nationwide Jail Bharo struggle was held eight years ago on ‘Quit India’ Day, 9 August 2018, at the joint call of the CITU-AIKS-AIAWU. Over five lakh workers, peasants, and agricultural workers had then courted arrest at innumerable centres across the whole country. This was immediately followed by the massive two-lakh strong Delhi Rally to Parliament by these three class organizations on 5 September 2018. Red flags dominated the capital that day.

The ‘Quit India’ call was repeated in a big way on 9 August 2021, in the midst of the Covid pandemic, and also the historic ongoing SKM-led farmers’ struggle against the three Farm Laws, which later won an epic victory. The vibrancy and determination of the Left were on full display throughout India. Over eight lakh people were mobilized by the Left class and mass fronts AIKS, CITU, AIAWU, AIDWA, DYFI, SFI in over 400 districts in 25 states across India on the slogan of ‘Save India from Corporate Communalism’, symbolized by the bankrupt BJP-RSS regime and its unholy alliance with the rapacious corporate and imperialist lobbies.

Main Issues of Struggle This Year

The main national issues which will be highlighted in the 10 August 2026 protests are as follows. Along with these, state and local-level burning issues will also be highlighted.

1. No India-US Free Trade Agreement; Repeal all earlier Free Trade Agreements.

2. Enact Law for MSP@C@ + 50% with guaranteed procurement for all crops.

3. Comprehensive Loan Waiver to end rural indebtedness and peasant-worker suicides; Rs 25 lakh compensation to each suicide victim family.

4. Scrap the four Labour Codes and ensure minimum wage of Rs 42,000 payable to all workers.

5. Scrap the bogus VB G-Gram-G Act, restore MGNREGA, ensure 200 days of work per year and Rs 700 per day as wages. Food, education, employment, health, and housing to all. 

6. Withdraw Electricity Privatisation Bill 2025, Seed Bill 2025, the National Food Security Act (NFSA) Amendment Bill, and the New Pension Scheme. Restore the Old Pension Scheme.  

7. No forced land acquisition, no pro-corporate land pooling, protect land rights based on LARR Act 2013, Forest Rights Act (FRA) 2006 of tribal and non-tribal forest-dwellers.

8. Withdraw draconian Acts like UAPA, NSA, Sedition, and such other provisions in the BNS.

9. Impose Wealth Tax, Raise Corporate Tax and Income Tax on the super-rich to help the poor.

Finally, every effort must and will be made to counter the communal and casteist poison of the RSS-BJP, and make all efforts to defend democracy, secularism, and social justice.