A three-hour transport strike has been called by the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) across West Bengal on Monday in protest against the Centre's decision to increase the price of petrol even as the Trinamool Congress, whose leadership claimed that it had not been consulted on the matter despite being a constituent of the United Progressive Alliance government, called for processions on the same day to protest the rise in prices of essential commodities.
With this latest increase in the price of petrol, fuel prices have been hiked seven times in the last seven months.
“As such, the prices of essential commodities are sky-high and the purchasing power of people is declining,” said Shyamal Chakraborty, president of the State unit of the CITU and a member of the central committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), here on Sunday.
The Trinamool Congress said that its protests in the State would continue for two days starting Monday.
“We are a party to the government at the Centre but know nothing about this,” Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee said.
“Any price rise affects the people; we are always with the people,” she added.
