Lucknow, Apr 13: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Monday blamed the BJP government’s “one-sided policies” for the violent protests by workers in Noida, alleging the regime favours capitalists while neglecting salaried employees and labourers.
Reacting to the violence through a post on X, Yadav said the agitation over wage hike had turned aggressive due to policies that “nurture capitalists but exploit workers”.
He alleged that while funds continue to flow towards “donor capitalists”, workers are deprived of fair wages.
“In times of rising inflation, it is extremely difficult for a family to survive on low wages. Only someone running a household can understand this,” he said, adding that salaried employees no longer want the BJP.
The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister also shared a video clip of incidents of arson and vandalism during the protests.
Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajay Rai also slammed the government over the handling of the situation, saying visuals from outside the Motherson company in Noida were “disturbing”.
“When inflation is breaking people’s backs and workers are being exploited in the name of wages, the youth will be forced to come out on the streets,” Rai said in a post on X.
“Advertisements cannot fill empty stomachs. Tear gas shells cannot answer hunger. Stop ignoring the legitimate demands of workers and find a solution instead of resorting to repression,” he added, addressing Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police Rajeev Krishna and ADG (Law and order) Amitabh Yash monitored the situation in Noida from the control room at the police headquarters in Lucknow, according to an official statement.
The opposition reactions came amid unrest in Noida where protests by factory workers demanding a salary hike turned violent in several areas, including Phase-2, Sector 60, Sector 62 and Sector 84 on Monday.
Workers from multiple industrial units gathered to press for long-pending wage revision demands, but the demonstrations escalated into incidents of stone-pelting, arson and vandalism, with vehicles set ablaze and property damaged.
Police said heavy deployment has been made across industrial zones under the Gautam Buddh Nagar Commissionerate and senior officials are monitoring the situation on the ground.
Authorities maintained that the situation is under control and efforts are underway to restore normalcy, while urging people not to pay heed to rumours.
The district administration had earlier held meetings with factory owners and stakeholders to address workers’ concerns and announced measures including double overtime wages, weekly offs and bonuses as per rules.
According to an official statement in Lucknow on Sunday evening, the UP government has announced a series of measures aimed at strengthening labour welfare, including mandatory double overtime pay, timely wages for workers in Gautam Buddh Nagar.
Under the directives of Adityanath, the Gautam Buddh Nagar administration has implemented strict rules for industrial units, positioning the district as a model for labour reforms in the state, it said.
District Magistrate Medha Roopam held meetings with representatives of industrial units and issued key directives to safeguard workers’ rights.
According to the new guidelines, payment for overtime work has been made mandatory at double the regular rate, with no scope for deductions.
