Mamata goes all out to foil strike

Directs State Govt. employees to compulsorily report for duty.

April 30, 2015 12:00 am | Updated 09:51 am IST - Kolkata:

Indian National Trinamool Trade Union Congress president Shovan Deb Chattopadhyay participating in a rally against the proposed ‘Bangla Bandh’ in front of Kolkata Municipal Corporation headquarters on Wednesday.- Photo: PTI

Indian National Trinamool Trade Union Congress president Shovan Deb Chattopadhyay participating in a rally against the proposed ‘Bangla Bandh’ in front of Kolkata Municipal Corporation headquarters on Wednesday.- Photo: PTI

Even as the Opposition parties in West Bengal have come together to enforce a strike on April 30, the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government on Wednesday took a series of measures to foil the same.

While the State Government issued a circular to State Government employees directing them to compulsorily report for duty on the day of strike, the city police made public announcements urging people not to participate in the strike.

“All State Government offices including those provided with grants-in-aid by the State Government would remain open and all the employees should report for duty on that date (April 30). No leave would be granted to any employee on that date,” read the circular signed by State Government’s principal secretary H. K. Dwivedi.

Addressing a programme in the State’s Nadia district Ms Banerjee said that the strikes and bandhs cause huge loss to the economy.

“We are ready to compensate anyone for any damage but we will not support any shutdown…Calling shutdown causes huge losses to economy, the burden of which falls on the public. Bandhs are counter-productive,” she said.

The labour wing of the ruling Trinamool Congress led by Rajya Sabha MP Dola Sen brought out rallies in the city urging people not to participate in the strike.

State secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) Surjya Kanta Mishra described the circular issued by the State Government as “illegal and unconstitutional”. The strike, among other issues is aimed at registering a protest against electoral malpractices in the civic polls held earlier this month.

“The Chief Minister has declared [in the circular] that salary will be deducted for those who will abstain from attending work tomorrow [Thursday]. She is declaring punishment even before a crime is committed,” Dr. Mishra told media person.

Stating that supporters of the ruling Trinamool Congress had already started intimidating people, he said Ms. Banerjee has declared war against all efforts to observe the strike.

Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) State president Shyamal Chakraborty said the trade union was ready to go war with the State ruling party to ensure the strike was a success. “If the Chief Minister wants war, we will go to war… I appeal to people not to go to their factories and offices even if a day’s pay is deducted,” he said.

The BJP has also called for a 10-hour shutdown. State Congress leaders like Deepa Dasmunsi also urged the people to support the strike.

The State transport department said that it will deploy additional buses to ensure proper transport movement during the strike.

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