New Delhi: At a time when ultra-left and its militancy are rocking the country, so much so that a simultaneous nationwide crackdown on August 28 has resulted in five arrests of Maoist sympathisers, three left bodies have jointly called for ‘militant struggles’ across India.

The Centre of Indian Trade Union (CITU), All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) and All India Agricultural Workers Union (AIAWU) have jointly issued a press release where they have quite brazenly stated their ‘decision’. Shocking as it may sound, that is precisely what has happened.

‘Mazdoor Kisan Sangharsh Rally’ on Sept 5th will mark a new stage in the struggle of working people of India for a better life and just future. pic.twitter.com/uu0akXik0Y — CPI (M) (@cpimspeak) August 31, 2018

There is a protest march scheduled for September 5 in Delhi jointly called by these three communist trade unions with their set of demands related to peasants and workers. But the joint declaration went on to add, “We also have decided to launch more militant struggles on common issues,” sending the security agencies in a tizzy.

The press note was signed by two former Members of Parliament, Tapan Sen and Hannan Mollah. Though the two signed in their capacity of CITU general secretary and AIKS general secretary respectively, the very fact two former communist MPs endorse militancy as an acceptable means of protest is shocking. The note was signed also by A Vijayaraghavan of the AIAWU.

Sources say an estimated 1 lakh protestors are expected to gather in the national capital on September 5. Once gathered from across the country, the protestors plan to march towards the Parliament House, crossing the high security Lutyens' zone where all Union ministers, MPs, senior bureaucrats and even Supreme Court judges live. And then the provocation for a militant struggle as a means of legitimate protest has only put the law enforcement agencies on their toes.

With mainstream parties like the CPI(M) endorsing this rally on September 5 and a group of intellectuals from JNU throwing their weight behind this, the questions that beg answers are whether they are not provoking a civil war in the country, whether this is not sedition and whether they can still remain legitimate, mainstream political parties registered with the Election Commission of India.