Vasanth N K
“WE have to carry forward the legacy of S Sooryanarayana Rao in leading uncompromising, militant, united struggles of working class”, declared Tapan Sen, CITU general secretary and Polit Bureau member of CPI(M), while inaugurating the national seminar on ‘Working Class Movement and The Development of Karnataka” on August 24. The seminar, held at the Town Hall in Bangalore, was organised by the ‘S Sooryanarayana Rao Centenary Celebration Committee.’ S Sooryanarayana Rao was a distinguished trade union and communist leader in the state, serving as the founder president of CITU Karnataka, Karnataka state secretary, and Central Committee member of the CPI(M) in the late 1990s. This programme marked the second celebration of his birth centenary.
Tapan Sen emphasized that Suri’s uncompromising militant leadership stemmed from his deep ideological commitment to fight, uproot and change the capitalist system. He understood that the daily struggles of the working class were rooted in the broader class and policy structures.
Suri and the CITU, which he helped found, emerged during a critical period in India’s development. This era marked a shift from the Keynesian development model, characterised by a welfare state and significant labour protections, to a period where the capitalist class focused on reducing labour costs. During the earlier phase, which began with the final stages of the freedom struggle and continued into the early years of independence, many labour laws were enacted and the role of labour was recognised, as Sen explained.
Toward the end of the first phase, many trade unions became mired in conciliations and collaboration, often under the guise of avoiding politics. In response, Suri and the CITU, starting in the mid-1960s, adopted an uncompromising militant approach, challenging both the capitalist class and the State. The militant strike actions led by Suri in Bangalore’s public sector and major private factories, such as MICO and ITC, set a national precedent, particularly in the struggle against linking workers' wages to productivity, Sen noted.
Tapan Sen, while discussing the role of the working-class movement in development, asserted, "Value in society is created by the producing classes – workers and peasants – while the rest are simply taking a free lunch."
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah attended the event and paid floral tributes to Suri. Reflecting on his association with him, he noted that although both were veteran leaders, they first entered the Karnataka legislature together in 1983. He praised Comrade Suri as an uncompromising fighter both inside and outside the legislature. Suri addressed not only workers' issues but also broader societal concerns, demonstrating thorough study and preparation in his speeches. Siddaramaiah recalled that whenever he visited his office in various capacities, he would not leave until the issue at hand was resolved.
Prof. Janaki Nair presented the main paper of the seminar, tracing the evolution of the workers' movement in Karnataka from the spontaneous struggles of the gold mine workers in KGF during the 1930s through the historic MICO and public sector strikes to the current issues faced by gig workers. She provided specific examples from the KGF mines and Bangalore cotton mills. As a labour historian, she stressed the importance of drawing inspiration from past struggles while learning from their failures and identifying underlying weaknesses. Prof. Nair highlighted that while class-based mobilisation is crucial for successful struggles, failing to address other social realities such as gender, caste, and language has often led to significant weaknesses and failures. She illustrated this with examples of caste issues among KGF mine workers, gender and caste issues in Bangalore mills, and language barriers in public sector strikes. She also spoke on the history of labour laws in British India and the princely state of Mysore. She lamented the current state of the working class, noting the ongoing struggle over issues like the ‘length of the working day,’ a battle won decades ago, and the fact that many gig workers are still unable to define a ‘working day.’
VJK Nair, vice president of CITU Karnataka, delivered the presidential address at the seminar, exploring the link between the working-class movement and the development of Karnataka. He highlighted that a robust working-class movement boosts workers' incomes, which expands the market for goods and services, fosters value addition, and stimulates capital formation, leading to increased investment in production and overall development. As an organised force within capitalist society, the working class not only defends its interests but also advances democratic and civil rights, contributing to social progress. Nair cited examples such as the role of Bangalore mill workers in the Quit India movement, KGF workers' significant contribution to the post-independence struggle for a "Responsible Government in Mysore State," and the development of Bangalore through public sector factories. He also noted that the post-Emergency surge in the working-class movement, highlighted by the public sector strike and the MICO strike, supported peasant uprisings in Naragund and Navalgund, which challenged the repressive Gundu Rao government through a long peasant-worker march. This activism led to the formation of Karnataka's first non-Congress government and catalysed the expansion of technical and medical education, healthcare, and the electronics sector. As a result, Bangalore emerged as a hub for the IT industry, driving further development in the city and the state.
Meenakshisundaram, general secretary of CITU Karnataka, extended a warm welcome, and U Basavaraj, secretary of CPI(M) Karnataka state committee and Central Committee member, also addressed the gathering.
The programme included a session of reminiscences, where comrades who had worked with Suri in major struggles – such as the Naragund Peasant Revolt, MICO, and public sector movements in Mysore – shared their experiences. A booklet about Comrade Suri was released and distributed, and a 20-minute video highlighting his life and struggles was premiered and is available on YouTube. The programme saw wide participation, with over 1,500 attendees. Rekha, Suri's daughter, and her son, an international medal-winning athlete, were present and honored during the event.
The commemoration of Suri's birth centenary began with the "Shrama Sanskritaka Utsava," a festival of working-class plays held on August 6 at Ravindra Kalakshetra. The festival featured three plays, with the most notable being one that depicted Suri's life and struggles. The other two plays were “Nyaya Kelida Ningavva” (When Ningavva Asked for Justice), performed by a working women's troupe from Mandya, and “Jalagara,” a play by Rashtrakavi Kuvempu. Most of the actors and supporting crew were active workers involved in organising the programme.
The centenary celebrations for Suri are planned to extend across the state, focusing on working-class centres with seminars, performances of plays, and other cultural events.
or reload the browser
