The Revolutionary Workers’ Party of India (RWPI) on Friday released its election manifesto under its approved party symbol of the karni thapi (plastering trowel) at a media conference at the Press Club of India, with equal wages, healthcare facilities and educational opportunities featuring prominently in the party’s ethos.
RWPI candidates will be contesting the upcoming Lok Sabha elections from five constituencies across the country — North East Delhi and North West Delhi, Pune in Maharashtra, Sant Kabir Nagar in Uttar Pradesh, and Kurukshetra in Haryana.
The Delhi State Anganwadi Workers and Helpers Union (DSAWHU) had earlier stated that they would rally behind the RWPI candidates as they are the “only party listening to anganwadi workers’ demands”.
The workers’ union had also stated that they would be boycotting all mainstream political parties in the election as they had “failed to fulfil basic promises”, including long-pending wage hikes.
The RWPI in a statement said that the party’s major demands include the recognition of all scheme workers, including Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) workers and anganwadi workers, as employees instead of volunteers. The demands also include the right to employment guarantee for every citizen and the provision of a minimum ₹15,000 unemployment allowance to those who are not provided employment, among others.
Yogesh Swamy, who is contesting the North East Delhi seat, and Aditi, who is contesting the North West Delhi seat, also brought up the specific issues plaguing their constituencies. Mr. Swamy highlighted the stagnant development in his area, while pointing out that most of the population there included factory workers who do not get minimum wage and lack social security.
Ms. Aditi brought to the fore the issue of domestic workers lacking the agency to demand minimum wage. She added that a large part of the population in her area consists of workers who toil across factories in Delhi, who do not get either minimum wage or basic security arrangements at their workplace.
The party also urged people to vote for a “paradigm shift” , adding that a change in the political status quo of the country is “inevitable”.
Poonam, an anganwadi worker from Mehrauli who was in attendance at the event, said that the workers had been running from pillar to post for a guarantee for minimum wages and recognition as government employees, but to no avail. “Every political party we have approached, be it AAP or BJP, has failed to keep its promise, so this time, we are reposing our faith in the RWPI,” she said.
