Kolkata, April 30 (IANS) Normal life in West Bengal was hit amidst sporadic violence on Thursday by a statewide dawn-to-dusk general strike and shutdown called by the Left Front and the BJP respectively and a nationwide transport strike by trade unions.
While the CPI-M led Left Front and the Bharatiya Janata Party called respective strikes to protest what they called “unfair practices” of the ruling Trinamool Congress in the recent civic polls, a number of trade unions called the countrywide strike demanding repeal of the Road Transport and Safety Bill, 2014, and alleged anti-worker policies of the central government.
Claiming the strike was successful, the opposition — Left Front, Congress and the BJP — attacked the Mamata Banerjee government and her Trinamool Congress for using “violent tactics” to foil the shutdown.
The Trinamool, however, claimed the strike failed to evoke people’s response.
Most of the roads across the state, including capital Kolkata, wore a near deserted look as a large number of taxis, autorickshaws and private buses did not ply.
Passengers at the busy Howrah and Sealdah railway stations and office-goers had a harrowing time with no taxi or bus to avail.
There were reports of buses being vandalised in several parts of Kolkata and Howrah.
The availability of normal metro train services and fleet of government buses, however, provided some respite for commuters. But many of those buses and metros had very few passengers.
Shops, markets and business establishments largely remained shut.
According to an Eastern Railway spokesperson, the running of long distance trains was normal but suburban train movement was affected for some time in the morning as protesters put up blockades and threw banana leaves on overhead wires.
Train movement was disrupted in Howrah, Asansol and Malda divisions.
Flights to and from Kolkata airport remained unaffected but passengers had to face inconvenience in reaching the airport.
While most private schools remained shut, the attendance in government schools was negligible with most parents preferring to keep their children at home.
The world’s largest coal miner Coal India reported 90 percent attendance with mining operations being normal in the collieries, while an Andrew Yule and Company official said attendance was nearly normal in the group’s offices and its 15 tea gardens.
Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) activists took out rallies in many parts of the city and the districts in support of the strike.
“The chief minister wanted a war and indeed there was a war in which the people handed her a crushing defeat. The police today were over enthusiastic to foil the shutdown and did not even deter from baton charging and arresting innocent people,” said Shyamal Chakraborty, state president of the CPI-M affiliated Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU).
Left Front chairman Biman Bose slammed the state government for jeopardising the students’ future by forcing universities to conduct exams on the day.
“Universities are autonomous bodies, but at the orders of the Nabanna (state secretariat) they were compelled to conduct the exams today jeopardising the future of the students,” said Bose.
Over 100 CPI-M activists were arrested in various parts of the state including Burdwan, Jalpaiguri, Darjeeling and North 24 Parganas districts for trying to enforce the strike.
According to police, 11 people were arrested in Asansol of Burdwan district following a clash between Trinamool and BJP activists.
State BJP chief Rahul Sinha claimed several of his party activists were arrested and assaulted for participating in the shutdown.
“Trinamool goons along with the police can capture booths but could not prevent people from participating in the strike. This shutdown is a massive defeat for the Trinamool and the chief minister who had gone all out to foil it,” said Sinha.
State Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury too flayed the state government for using force to curb the democratic rights of the opposition.
“I strongly condemn the vicious role of the state government and the violent tactics of the Trinamool in its bid to foil the strike,” said Chowdhury, whose party had supported the strike.
The Trinamool which took out rallies opposing the shutdown claimed normal life was unaffected.
“People stepped out of their homes,Universities conducted exams. Life was normal today. We thank people of Bengal for being on the side of progress and development and saying no to bandh,” Trinamool secretary general Partha Chatterjee said.