Bidi workers form human chain in Rangpur with four-point demand

Bangladesh Bidi Sramik Federation Greater Rangpur Region has staged a human chain program in Rangpur with four-point demands, including withdrawal of duty and advance income tax on the bidi industry. The program was held at 10:30 am on Thursday in front of the Rangpur Deputy Commissioner's office. Following the human chain, labor leaders submitted a memorandum to the Chief Adviser through the Deputy Commissioner.

Their demands include the withdrawal of duty and discriminatory advance income tax on the bidi industry, formulation of health protection laws for bidi workers, stopping the production and sale of fake bidis, and formation of district-level committees to prevent fake bidis and cigarettes led by Deputy Commissioners. Speakers said that bidi is a domestic cottage industry and it is 100 percent labor-dependent. Hundreds of thousands of workers in the greater Rangpur region earn their livelihood by working in this industry.

However, the past fascist government pushed the bidi industry towards destruction by giving various facilities to foreign cigarette companies. As a result, many genuine revenue-paying bidi owners have been forced to close their factories. They further said that if duty is increased, dishonest traders are encouraged to produce fake bidis, which spread in the market and harm genuine taxpayers. This also causes the government to lose revenue. Therefore, to protect the country's economy, the production of fake bidis must be stopped and the genuine bidi industry must be sustained.

During the human chain, workers were seen holding various festoons with slogans such as "Stop the neo East India Company, protect the domestic industry, boycott BAT products, drive out multinational traders, save bidi workers, if anything happens to the bidi industry fire will burn in every household, British American Tobacco damages lungs in this country and launders money abroad." The human chain was presided over by the organization's president Amin Uddin BSc and conducted by Greater Rangpur Region general secretary Abul Hasnat Lablu.

It was also attended by Bangladesh Bidi Sramik Federation general secretary Harik Hossain, vice-president Md. Nazim Uddin, joint secretary Abdul Gafur and organizing secretary Shamim Islam. Labor leaders warned that if the demands are not considered in the upcoming budget, the scope of the movement will be expanded further.