Noida Worker Protest: Rahul Gandhi Steps Up in Support of Workers, Says—

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has reacted to the violent protests by workers demanding wage hikes in Uttar Pradesh’s Gautam Buddh Nagar district. Rahul Gandhi termed the incident an act of oppression against workers. In a post on ‘X’ (formerly Twitter), he stated, “What unfolded on the streets of Noida yesterday was the final cry of this country’s workers—a voice that has been consistently ignored, a voice that has grown weary of pleading for its rights.”

The Congress MP remarked, “A worker in Noida earns a monthly salary of ₹12,000, while rent costs between ₹4,000 and ₹7,000. By the time they receive an annual wage increment of ₹300, the landlord has already hiked the rent by ₹500. Before the salary increase can take effect, this unchecked inflation strangles their livelihood and plunges them into the depths of debt—this is the stark reality of ‘Viksit Bharat’ (Developed India).”

References Energy Crisis Stemming from West Asia Conflict

Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, also cited a statement made by a protesting female worker. He wrote, “A female worker remarked, ‘Gas prices keep rising, but our wages do not.’ In the midst of this gas crisis, these individuals likely had to purchase a gas cylinder for as much as ₹5,000 just to keep the stove burning in their homes.”

He further added, “This is not merely an issue confined to Noida. Nor is it limited solely to India. Fuel prices are skyrocketing across the globe; supply chains have been disrupted due to the conflict in West Asia. However—be it America’s tariff wars, global inflation, or fractured supply chains—the burden of these crises has not fallen upon Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s industrialist friends. The heaviest blow has landed upon the daily-wage laborer—the one who earns their livelihood day-by-day and eats only what they earn that very day.”

When Workers Demand Their Rights, They Face Coercion and Oppression: Rahul Gandhi

Rahul Gandhi asserted, “That worker—who played no part in any war, who formulated no policies, but simply did their job—quietly and without complaint… What do they receive in return when they demand their rightful dues? Nothing but coercion and oppression.”

He also took aim at the labor laws introduced by the Modi government. He said, “Another crucial issue: the Modi government, in a hasty and undiscussed move, implemented four labor laws starting November 2025, thereby extending working hours to 12 hours. Is the demand of a laborer—who stands and works for 12 hours every single day, yet still has to take out loans to pay his children’s school fees—unreasonable? And is the one who is denying him his rightful dues every day actually bringing about development?”