- Who
- 2020 Indian general strike
- What
- 250,000,000 total number
- Where
- India ()
- When
A reported 250 million people took part in a nationwide general strike in India on 26 November 2020 in what could conceivably be the largest single-day protest in history. The strike, called in response to discontent around employment and welfare laws, was backed by 10 trade unions and several leftwing political parties.
The general strike affected all services and industries, including transport, farms, banks, mines, shipping and telecommunications.
The strikers demands focused on the curbing of government privatization, improved welfare benefits and changes to unpopular employment legislation.
The one-day general strike coincided with - and galvanized - a longer protest by farm workers that had begun in August 2020 in response to unpopular Farm Bills that were thought to jeopardize farmers' future viability against large corporates. The strike inspired hundreds of thousands of agricultural workers and their supporters to rally around the capital, New Delhi, setting up blockades with tractors and other vehicles. The Farm Bills were repealed in November 2021.
