Chennai- Is it the fuel price hike hitting your monthly budget? Or the fear that your right to strike at work could soon vanish? Maybe it's the rural job scheme that promises 100 days of work but delivers only 35. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) says all three crises stem from one source- the BJP-led central government and it's calling for a massive state-wide protest across Tamil Nadu on June 19.

After a two-day state committee meeting in Courtallam led by senior leader K. Kanagaraj and attended by All India General Secretary M.A. Baby, the party has drawn a clear line in the sand: roll back the fuel hikes, scrap the anti-worker labour codes, and fix the broken 100-day employment guarantee or face a people's uprising.

The meeting was also attended by Politburo members B.V. Raghavulu, K. Balakrishnan, and U. Vasuki; State Secretary P. Shanmugam; Central Committee members P. Sampath, N. Gunasekaran, and K. Balabharathi; as well as members of the State Secretariat and State Committee.

Demand 1: Stop the Fuel Price Rollercoaster

The CPI(M) has accused the central government of playing cynical politics with household budgets. According to the resolution passed at the Courtallam meeting, the BJP waited patiently until five state assembly elections were over before unleashing five rounds of petrol and diesel price hikes in quick succession. Cooking gas (LPG) and commercial cylinders have been hiked twice in the same period.

"Every time fuel prices go up, it's not just your bike or auto that gets costlier. It's your vegetables, your milk, your bus fare, and your monthly grocery bill," the resolution stated.

The party also pointed to global geopolitics, criticizing Prime Minister Modi for refusing to condemn what it called "American imperialist war hysteria" in the Middle East. The CPI(M) argued that threats to Iranian oil production and the Strait of Hormuz are being used as an excuse to burden Indian citizens rather than challenge US aggression abroad.

"We have already staged two protest movements in Tamil Nadu on this issue," said State Secretary P. Shanmugam. "But the government is not listening. So on June 19, we will make them listen."

Demand 2: Scrap the Four Anti-Worker Labour Codes

The second major trigger for the June 19 protest is the central government's controversial consolidation of four labour laws into a single code. The CPI(M) describes this as nothing short of a corporate gift wrapped in bureaucratic language.

According to the party's analysis, the new labour codes do three dangerous things:

• They kill the right to strike – a fundamental tool for workers to negotiate fair wages and conditions.

• They promote contract labour – allowing companies to hire workers on a temporary, no-benefits basis indefinitely.

• They enable unlimited exploitation – removing caps on working hours and weakening safety nets.

"This is not labour reform. This is labour slavery," the resolution declared. "These codes turn workers into disposable tools for corporate profit."

The party noted that contract workers have already begun fighting back, citing recent protests at 82 locations across the Delhi-NCR region. The CPI(M) warned that Tamil Nadu's industrial workforce will not remain silent either.

"The government may think workers have accepted these changes. But June 19 will prove them wrong," Shanmugam added.

Demand 3: Fix the 100-Day Job Scheme, 35 Days Not Enough

The third pillar of the protest is the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), which the CPI(M) says has been systematically destroyed by the BJP government through what it calls the "V.P.G. Ramji" amendments.

Here's what has changed – and why it matters to rural Tamil Nadu:

What Was Promised

1. 100 days of guaranteed work

2. Centre funds 90% of the scheme

3. ₹700 per day wage demand

4. A safety net for the poor

What Is Happening

1. Average actual work: 35 days (as low as 22 in some areas)

2.Centre now funds only 60% – states must pay 40%

3. Current wages remain far lower

4. A shrinking, underfunded shadow of itself

The CPI(M) called the BJP's promise to raise guaranteed work days from 100 to 125 a "blatant lie." Without adequate funding, the party argued, even 100 days is unattainable – let alone 125.

"Show us the money first. Then talk about increasing days," the resolution said.

The party's official demand is clear: raise the guaranteed work days to 200, increase the daily wage to ₹700, and restore the central funding ratio to 90:10 so that state governments are not forced to choose between paying workers and bankrupting their own budgets.

What Happens on June 19?

The CPI(M) Tamil Nadu state committee has directed all district units to organize massive public demonstrations across the state on June 19.

"We will gather in every town, every industrial belt, every rural block," Shanmugam said. "Workers, farmers, youth, women – everyone who feels the pinch of price hikes and the pain of lost rights, should join us."

The party has also left the door open for further agitations if the government fails to respond by the deadline.

For the average Tamilian, the June 19 protest may feel like one more political event in a crowded calendar. But the CPI(M) is betting that three things are universally unpopular right now: rising fuel and LPG prices that burn a hole in every household budget, labour laws that make workers feel insecure and powerless and a rural job scheme that promises dignity but delivers disappointment.

Whether the streets fill on June 19 will depend on how deeply these three pains are felt.