Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge slammed the Modi government on International Labour Day, highlighting its 'Hum Do Hamare Do' policies as the prime cause of India’s unemployment and reiterated five key demands aimed at safeguarding the interests of workers across India.

Referring to the new “anti-worker” Labour Code, the leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha said, “Whether it's Noida, IOCL in Panipat, Adani's factory in Raikheda, NTPC Patratu, or Samsung's factory in Sriperumbudur—unrest has erupted everywhere” in a post on X.

He alleged that this new code promotes “policies like contract labour and hire & fire instead of job security”.

Kharge also criticised the central government’s decision to abolish MGNREGA and shift 40 per cent of the wage burden onto state governments, “who cannot bear this cost and will eventually stop providing work.”

The Congress leader linked the series of policies to more and more Indians getting trapped in unemployment or gig work. “69 per cent of people are working for less than the minimum wage”, he added. He also pointed out the crisis of stagnant wages, which have barely grown 1 per cent annually in the last decade after adjusting for inflation.

The selling of PSUs and “refusal to fill” nearly 30 lakh vacant government posts have led to “massive unemployment” among graduates.

Listing five key demands, the Congress leader called for the revival of MGNREGA and its expansion to urban areas, along with the implementation of a national minimum wage of ₹400 per day, including for MGNREGA workers.

He urged the government to halt the contractualisation of employment in key public sector roles and to review the new Labour Code.

Kharge also sought the enactment of a ‘Right to Health’ law, which will provide universal health coverage of up to ₹25 lakh for workers and labourers, alongside provisions for life and accident insurance for all unorganised workers.